Is it Bedtime yet?

Wednesday, again.

2012-01-25T11:26:00.001-07:00

It's Wednesday again. That was quick!
Join in the Wed-nes-day hodgepodge right here.

Am I the only one who actually says Wed-nes-day when writing that word? Because I do.

Let's get started...

1. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl will feature the New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?

I define patriot as one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady, Jr.
You see, he's a Michigan man. And so I am a fan.

I like to say that we went to school together, because we did.
But the truth is that I never set eyes on him on campus except while on the football field.

What? Were you expecting something deeper? Like something about this guy?

Well, he's a patriot, too. And I would rather be married to him than to that other patriot I mentioned.
Thanks for what you do, Joshie!
And for letting me call you Joshie.
And for giving me two great kids.
Who shart in the bathtub while you're deployed.

2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?

My muffin top.

Ha! I kid, I jest.

But who wants to jog with me when I get back to warmer weather?

Well.
In about two months and two weeks from now, we should be living in California.
This seems odd, because I am currently sitting in a house in Michigan with our schtuff scattered all around. My husband is in Afghanistan and wont be home for, oh, about 2 months.
Soon I need to get two kids and a bunch of schtuff to North Carolina. And then somehow we must arrange for that household to be moved to California. And then we've got to figure out how to get us and our vehicles to California. And find a place in which to reside.

But let's think of it as more like a giant adventure, shall we?

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?

Starting college, meeting Josh for the first time but thinking he must be someone's little brother, being on my own and liking it...good times.

4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up?

I'm going to go with mashed potatoes. Coconut isn't really a big part of my life, and I don't much care for mayo.
Let's get to the heart of the matter-- There are many other flavors of ice cream. So by giving up vanilla, I can keep both potatoes and non-vanilla ice cream.

5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as being the coldest you've ever experienced.

I remember one day of snow skiing that was just bitterly cold and I was forced to stop many times to warm up in the lodge. It was my toes and fingers that were the coldest.
The next day I found out about those warmers they have for your gloves and ski boots.
Ah, hindsight.

6. You're hosting a brunch....what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?

Oh Joyce, how you make me laugh.
I would never be hosting a brunch.

7. How do you combat negative thinking?

A change of perspective is usually all that I need.
I believe the Bible, and it is more than enough to calm any anxious thought. Not that they wont come back again and again, but the good thing about the scriptures is that you can go back to them again and again.

James 4:14 says: Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

Does it strike you odd that I like that particular verse about how soon I'm going to be dead?
Me too; it's probably because I'm weird.
But it does wonders for perspective.

Really, this life is short. What things really matter?
Having a nicely decorated home? Lots of money? This body?

None of it lasts. (and some of it is photoshopped)

One of my favorite quotes ever was written by Jim Elliot, who was a missionary who was killed in the mission field. He said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose."

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Why no, no I'm not certain that sermons and sharting belong in the same blog post. Thank you for asking.

Day 131

2012-01-22T22:08:00.001-07:00

I'm tired, and I shall be retiring shortly. But first I will provide a run-down on our past several days.

-We left the western side of the state and drove back to Pat the Bunny's on Friday. It's only a bit over 2 hours, but it made me remember that soon we will be driving 13 hours back to North Carolina. And while it will be nice to be back in our own house, I am not looking forward to the drive or the unpacking that awaits me.

- I miss my husband. This is news, no?

- September was a long time ago. Like, back when it was hot. And before Halloween. And Thanksgiving. And Christmas. And New Years. And lots of days in between.

- Pity party complete.

- I have a new best friend.

- Allow me to explain.

- Each month we send the guys a "morale calendar." It's a big calendar that the spouses make, and each family takes a 12x12 square for a day of the month. It's covers a wall at their squadron building. We decorate our square and put pictures on it, etc. Mine is predictably lame because I lack the scrapbooking gene that makes a person enjoy such goings-on.
Ergo, this blog.

- I like to use the word ergo. And I like to blog because I enjoy recording our daily lives in a non-scrapbook format. The alternative requires scissors, hard copies of photographs, cute embellishments, and general work.

- Back to my story.

- For February, apparently the idea for the morale calendar was for all the wives to put a photo of themselves on their square. A Valentine's photo, if you will. The word sexy was mentioned. A couple of the girls in the squadron are photographers and were going to take pictures for anyone who didn't have one.

- I am not photogenic, and as luck would have it, I am also not in North Carolina. So I decided to opt out of this month's calendar. But I kept getting e-mails from the commander's wife, Tera, asking where my picture was.

- So I sent her this:

- And bless her heart, she thought that it was actually me.
Or should I say, that more than the face was me.

- She is my new best friend.

- And I also might gently suggest a vision exam.

- I'm getting into my jammie jam jammerkins and going to nighty nite town now.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2012-01-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey look. I remembered what day of the week it was while it was still that day of the week.

Join in at Joyce's for the Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

I don't know how I missed it, what with all of the nothing I have penciled in to my schedule these days. Oh yes, there was a football game on that night I do believe.

If I were a contestant I'd probably do some 90's rapping.
It would be an instant you-tube classic.

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

I tend to neglect until death all living things in my household. I'm actually kind of surprised my kids are still hanging around.
Many moons ago, when I was working in Ye Old United States Air Force, I was given a Christmas cactus by a departing colleague. It was my first and only houseplant. I took it home and it never bloomed, and I never watered it, and I never allowed it any sun, etc.
It was a tad pathetic.
We were living in Texas, and when we moved to North Carolina (the first time people, keep up) I gave it to my Texas next-door-neighbor.
We shared a carport.
Her name was Laurel.
Her husband was in pilot training and they had no kids.

Then we moved to North Carolina for 9 months for Josh's training in the F15E.
Then we moved to Idaho for 3 years where Josh was in an F15E fighter squadron.
Then we moved back to North Carolina where Josh is in an another F15E fighter squadron.
That is currently in Afghanistan.
With my husband.

And who do we find living in our very neighborhood? Yes, the Maplehood?
Laurel and her husband who was no longer in pilot training but in F15E training and her 2 children.
And right before they moved to England, where they now reside, Laurel deposited on my kitchen counter one Christmas cactus from many moons ago that still rarely blooms and is currently probably dead in our house in North Carolina.

The End.

Who would have thought I could be so verbose about plants?

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

In retrospect, I should have had the decency to hide my face. And my hair. And my clothes.

But I fear I did not.
Nay, I did not realize the full extent of my nerdiness and I went on about life as if I did not look like the poster child for Nerds of the 80's & 90's.

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year....what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

Usually General Tso's chicken. But I'm non-discriminatory. I like all Chinese food.
And Thai food, and American food, and Japanese food, and Mexican food, and . . .

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

There are many ways to define a miracle. I'll list some:
- Both of my kids sleep in until 9am
- My children inadvertently touch each other under the dinner table and no one makes a noise as if they've been burned
- Derek figures out how to buckle himself into his car seat (Yes. He is FOUR.)
- Josh comes home on time from a deployment.
- I am offered dessert and I say "no, thank you"
- I go to the dentist and don't have a cavity

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here.

Too hard to choose. I love the music from Beauty & the Beast.
Oh, and The Little Mermaid.
And The Lion King.

7. I should have __________yesterday.

Showered? No wait, I did that.

Gone to bed earlier? Yes, that would work.

Oh, and I should have worn a coat when I took the kids to the library. I forgot I needed to get gas, and it was windy and snowy and well, cold.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm moving to Spain.
And I'm kind of excited about it.

Day 125

2012-01-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

We have passed the 4-month point in this deployment.

4-ish months is the longest Josh and I have ever been separated in the past, so this is new territory. Josh is still doing great in Afghanistan. He's missing us lots, but, and I quote: "I've still got the gym, my electric blanket, mustache and gun, so overall it's pretty good."

Dang mustache.

Things are going well for the kids and I here in Michigan as well. I thought I would be way past ready to be home by now. But our family has been so generous and accommodating for all these weeks. We've totally taken over Mom and Mark's house, fridge, and pantry and they just overlook our mess and keep restocking the food.
Dad and Cindy have us over all the time for meals and to take the kids out to play. On Saturday, they picked the kids up at 11am and kept them until bedtime. They played out in the snow, had lots of hot chocolate, went to see Beauty & the Beast in 3-D, ate their body weight in candy and popcorn, and then played in McDonald's playland.
So, as you can imagine, they are officially rotten.

And so am I. Because while Dad & Cindy had the kids, Mom and Mark took me out for an all-you-can-eat crab leg dinner!
Heaven.
There is nothing better in my book.

And we are heading back soon to spend some more time with Pat the Bunny who, as you know, is notorious for indulgence. The kids might be ruined for life.

I'm actually a little nervous to go back to life on my own. It's been so nice to have adult conversation and help with the munchkins.
I'd stay longer if I didn't have things to get back to. I'm hoping Derek can still rejoin his classmates on the bus, I have my Friday morning Bible study responsibilities that I've skipped out on, my friend Ashley will be having Brooke's sister in February, and with our move coming up so fast there are things to do around the house as well as wanting to spend time with friends before we say goodbye.

Plus there are run-on sentences to write.

Whew. Maybe I wont have time to be lonely after all.

But for now, it is Monday and I'm off to school my kid.
Today I will be teaching her the finer points of foot massage. I will be her practice dummy.

Later.

My armpits are blue, and other things.

2012-01-12T19:57:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to a museum today.

It was quite nice. We had the place practically to ourselves, and it was free.
I really like free.
Free is my favorite of all the prices.

Alex and I share the same sentiments about ice cream.

Future sportscaster. Boom goes the dynomite.

If you don't get the dynomite reference, then you don't spend enough time on you tube, or you're not married to Josh B. Schore.
Or maybe both.

The kids area was fun.

We're supposed to get some snow tonight and tomorrow, so I had to get the hooligans out of the house to burn off some energy.
Oh and Field Trip?
Check.

If that's not enough to put me in the running for homeschooling mom of the year, then maybe this is:

Oh yeah. Arts and Crafts baby.
My play-doh man is awesome, is he not? I just have hidden talents coming out of the woodwork.
I mean, I'm practically fluent in Spanish these days.

Well, as long as you only want to speak in the present tense, and say things like, The girl eats an apple in the kitchen.
We could have really awesome conversations about such things.

I bought a new sweatshirt in a pretty blue color.
It's a good thing I like the color because now my armpits are the same shade.
Really? That happens?

It wouldn't be so surprising if I'd bought the shirt from the dollar store, but I would like an accounting from one J. Crew.

What else?
Oh yes, I'm starting to make my way back to North Carolina. Very slooooooooooowly.
In a week I'm heading back to PtB's to spend a little more time there before making the long drive.

Right now we're still on track for our move to California almost immediately after Josh gets home. So there should be plenty to do to keep me busy between arriving at home and waiting for the news that Josh is on his way.
Can't wait! I'm ready to be a family of four again.

Day 119

2012-01-10T21:23:00.000-07:00

I have no blog for today.
Because I have been studying Spanish, and playing Words with Friends, and giving baths, and teaching first grade, and having Taco Tuesday at Dad & Cindy's, and looking at rental houses in California, and contemplating life.

But I was looking through some old posts for a picture, and I came across this blog entry from many moons ago.

And I quite enjoyed it.

How humble of me, to enjoy my own post, no?

But I thought Josh would like to revisit it, and maybe you would too. It's all about the life and times of our firstborn.

That is all.

Mr. October

2012-01-08T21:53:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, my mom and I took the kids and headed to a nearby mall.

These are the aforementioned kids:

They're kind of cute, but they are very, very LOUD.
I don't know why they are so loud.
Maybe I need to have their hearing checked.
Or maybe I need to wear earplugs during the day.

Back to the shopping.

My mom needed a calendar so we went into a store in the mall that was advertising 75% off calendars.
Since I don't need one more thing to load into my van for the ride home, I was just meandering around the store waiting for her to make her purchase.
They had a few calendars with jets on them, so I picked one up to see if I could find an F-15 to show the kids.
I grabbed this one:

And flipped it over.

I immediately noticed the picture in the bottom corner. I'd seen that picture before. (And so have you)

It was the same picture that we have on canvas print at our house. Josh was flying the photographer in his backseat when he took the picture, but we hadn't heard that it was going to be used in a calendar.

I would imagine that I might never again wander around a store and find my husband kind-of in a calendar, so I had to buy it.

But only because it was 75% off ;)
A bargain at $3.74.

I shall now be calling my main man, Mr. October.

Which makes me, Mrs. October.

So I'm kind of like a calendar girl now.
That's my smooth calendar girl ride behind me.

I exude coolness, no?

Also, when you haven't worked out in several months, have been doing quite a bit of eating, don a horizontal striped top, and let someone take a picture of you, it kind of reminds you that it's time to get your rear in gear.
After all, I do have Mr. October to welcome home in 12 weeks or so.

I do believe it's time to begin the spring slim-down.
If anyone out there knows a way to drop some pounds without exertion or giving up carbs and sweets, kindly let me know.
If not, I will be forced to sweat and I might even have to give up ice cream.

This could get ugly.

Day 114

2012-01-05T21:55:00.000-07:00

Alternately titled, a series of random things.

I haven't talked to Josh since the Michigan game, which incidentally turned out quite well despite possibly removing a few months from my lifespan with it's nail-biting ending.

I would say that I miss him, but that doesn't quite do it justice.

Good thing I have a mini-Josh to remind me of him.

**************************************************************************************
Alex asked me "Can I play disney junior dot com slash mickey?"
Well, how could I say no to such a detailed request?
Your advertising is slick, Disney Channel. Well done.

Alex has played these games maybe once a week for about a year now. Derek always pulls up a chair to watch.
Do you know that he has never asked if he can play?
I don't know if the thought has never occured to him or if he's scared of what his sister might say to his request.

He's a gentle soul.

****************************************************************************************
Remember World's Colliding?
Anyone want to take a guess the bigger picture? Don't be afraid, it's not like I'm showing you animal genitalia.
(This time.)

*************************************************************************************

This photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful sunset we were treated to the other night.
The pink, orange, and blue colors were a sight to behold.

Romans 1:20

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

************************************************************************************

Happy Birthday to my sister in law, Yessica Yoy. Hope you partied it up as only a nursing mother can do. Which means got to bed early after toasting a new year with a caffeine free pop.

(I'm in Michigan, so I have to call it pop.)
(Her name is actually Jessica Joy, but it's a family nickname that I choose to attempt to embarrass her with.)
(But she's already had a baby, so we know that things that used to qualify as embarrassing are really trivial now.)
(At least if her experience was anything like mine with Derek, when the not-very-thoughtful nurse just left sheets pulled way back over my knees as seemingly hundreds of people walked past my recently evacuated birth canal.)

(Pretty sure I just lost a couple readers.)
(Which brings my total down to about...7.)

*************************************************************************************

Taylor wondered in the comments of my last post why the guys grow mustaches during deployments.

Awhile back, Anonymous (who is really my friend Amy's husband, Joe) posted this in the comments of a post in which I made disparaging remarks about the pedostache.

It's not a "pedo stache" - it's a bulletproofing mustache. The idea behind the Mustache dates back to the early beginnings of military aviation during World War I, it continued throughout World War II, and on to the Combat 'Stache of the Vietnam conflict. Pilots would grow a "Bulletproof" mustache, not only for the luck that it provided, but also as a good natured protest against military regulations which strictly regulate facial hair- it serves to highlight the need for mission focus during a conflict. At a time when aircrew were being lost on almost a daily basis it was imperative to focus on the accomplishment of the mission, rather than being waylayed into spending time enforcing minor regulations that have little to do with winning the war. Also known as "queep".

No discussion of the Combat Mustache would be complete without acknowledging the most famous "Bulletproof" facial hair of all - worn by the Vietnam-era Commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, "The Wolfpack", Brigadier General Robin Olds.

Thanks for the info, Joe. I will allow the furry creature to remain on my husband's most handsome of faces until he is out of theater, for it's somewhat dubious bullet-proofing properties.

However, there is typically a pit stop or two along the way home, which will provide convenient access to places that will allow for facial hair removal.

*******************************************************************************

I'd be more random, but I have to get this published within the next 5 minutes or it wont be Jessie's birthday anymore.

Later.

Let's catch up.

2012-01-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

Shall we?

I've left the house a couple of times, so that's something.
We had dinners and playtime over at Dad & Cindy's twice.

The children like to use my father as a trampoline while I pretend not to notice.

We got some more snow, and the kids insisted on being pulled around by the ATV again.
I would have taken some pictures, but I was on the couch reading and staying warm while I left Pepaw on his own.
Poor guy.
Derek didn't ever want to come in, even though the temps were in the 20's.

But maybe the joke was on me, because after all that time in the cold Derek woke up around midnight with a croupy cough that sounded just terrible. We hung out in a steamy bathroom for a bit, and then I slept in a sleeping bag on his floor for the night to make sure he was okay.

I used to sleep just fine on a floor, but I'm now feeling every bit of my 32 years, 10 months, and 8 days. Looking forward to something a little softer tonight.

Alex started back to school this week. She's doing well, but between you and me, her teacher is kind of odd.

Today I took my shower upstairs in my mom's bathroom because Derek was napping downstairs and I didn't want to wake him.
A very unfortuate thing happened.

Her bathroom has a window and sunlight was streaming in. And then I made the mistake of looking into her super-magnifying mirror.

It wasn't pretty.
I used to stay home because I liked to.
Now I'm thinking I shouldn't be leaving the house for the good of all mankind.

Holy illuminated and magnified pores, Batman.
I think I need a facial.
Or maybe I should become nocturnal.

(I told you Alex's teacher was strange.)

Lots of people are asking me when I'm returning to North Carolina.

I don't know.
How's that for clearing things up?

Maybe when April doesn't seem so far away.

Tonight Josh and I are skyping off and on while we watch Michigan play in the bowl game. It's tied with 5 minutes left, and I am expending my nervous energy blogging.
Close games give me ulcers.

But once they're over, I'm back to my cheerful self. Even if we lose.
Most of the time.

Here's Josh watching with a couple guys from the squadron.
There's the obvious guy, and then there's the furry creatures hanging out under their noses.

Once we hit the deployment halfway mark, Josh started to grow the hair on his head back.
He must want me to be able to run my fingers through his mane when he returns.

Pedostache needs to stay in Afghanistan.

Now we're up by three with 4 minutes to go.
Still nervous.

Now we're up with 1 minute left to go, but the Hokies are knocking on the door of the endzone.

ESPN should pay me for these updates.

5 seconds left, Hokies in field goal range.

Game tied. Going to overtime.
Not even blogging can help me now.

Goodbye forever.

Football is way better than soccer.
Don't tell the Spaniards I said so.

2012

2011-12-31T21:36:00.000-07:00

It's New Years Eve, and I'm living it up in a way that would impress any~~one~~ octogenarian out there.

I watched a televised church service, downed some apple cider, and now I'm wondering if the public broadcasting station has any sittercise episodes airing tonight.

I haven't left the house in 5 days. Hermitting at its finest.
I didn't even realize it was New Year's Eve until around dinnertime.

My early 30's are crying out for a re-do.

Good thing there is much excitement in store for 2012.
First, and most anticipated, will be reuniting our family in the spring. I can't wait to welcome my husband home, share the joys and challenges of daily life with him, and of course, give him a chaste peck on the lips.

(I'd tell you the truth, but I don't want to make you blush.)

I can't say for sure, but I think he'll be happy to be home as well.

Unless his fancy room in Afghanistan is just too comfortable for him to let go of...

Nah.

Not sure I could handle calling that place home for 6 months. But on the positive side, one of the guys in that video clip I posted used to be Josh's roommate.
So at least his cozy space is all his own.
(For now.)

Our reunion will be shortchanged slightly by an imminent move across the country, but we are so looking forward to this next assignment that we don't really mind.
Josh will be attending language training in California, and from what I've heard, will have the best hours that he's had in his 10+ years on active duty.
What? Home for dinner and bedtime?
A girl could get used to that.

It's fun to think about all the new adventure-- like what our home in California will be like, and how things will go as we try to learn a new language.
Then there's the more challenging thoughts. How will the kids handle the move? What will we do for school next year? Must I hug trees to fit in? Go blonde? Gasp-- vote democrat?

;)

I'm sure we'll get it all figured out in time.
And then we'll move again.

What I really feel as I think back on the year 2011 is thankfulness. I am grateful beyond words for all of the blessings in my life, and humbled by all that God has done for my family. I'll praise him for as many years as he gives me.

Wishing you all a blessed year in 2012!

Day 107

2011-12-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

I've been a lazy blogger because I picked up a book.
My apologies. I'm one of those people who picks up a book and everything else gets set aside until it's finished.
The children go hungry, no one bathes, laundry piles up...

It doesn't even matter if it's a book I've read 5 times before.

(And it is.)

(Also I might be exaggerating slightly. I do enjoy being clean.)

I've also been playing with my new Christmas toy.
It starts with an i and ends with a pad.

I'm totally in the cool kids club now. After berating me for my old-school laptop that can't hold a charge, doesn't have a backspace key, and gives me third degree lap burns, my Mom & Mark gifted me with my new little friend.

Me likey. Me likey a lot.
Thanks guys!!

But it was kind of mean of you to first give me an iPad box that held only a maxi pad.
Funny, but mean.

This has nothing to do with anything, but the other day Derek grabbed this caterpillar toy and announced that it was his really long penis.

Boys are funny.

Christmas recap--

We opened the toys...

...played with the toys...

...and then showed them all to Daddy a couple hours later.

Josh was flying that morning, so he wasn't able to watch the live proceedings this time.

Ineverknowhowtotransistiontoanewtopicdoyoueverhavethatproblem?

Tonight Pepaw and Grandma Cindy took these three hooligans to see a movie and have dinner.

Woo-hoo! 3 and half hours of quiet for us. Candy, popcorn, happy meals, and a playplace for them. Probably a headache and some regret for Dad and Cindy.

They were a wee bit excited when they returned home. Alex & Kennedy had to give us all a play-by-play on the movie. It sounded epic.
Surely a future classic.

Something about a chipmunk. And a shipwreck.

Derek bounced off the walls and tried on some glasses.

Then he bounced off some more walls, only with poorer vision.
Then he threw the glasses behind the couch, slipped down the steps, and went to bed.

Pretty good day for a four year old.

Meanwhile I've unsuccessfully been trying to take a picture of Woody Woodpecker, who frequents the bird feeder outside the window here. He is very skittish.

I can't get any closer without him flying away and I've determined that when I grow up I shall not be a nature photographer.

You're welcome.

Also, this post?
Very random.

And I forgot I was supposed to tell you about WORLDS COLLIDING.

That will have to wait until tomorrow. Or whenever I finish my book.
Mostly because my lap is really hot right now, and I can't blog very well on my iPad.

Later.

Feliz Navidad

2011-12-27T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hope you all enjoyed a lovely Christmas!

As for me, and probably most of you, we've been busy with busyness.

Yesterday we trekked over to the west side of the state, and not a day too soon, as the snow was falling this morning. A pretty day to stay inside by the fire nursing a cup of coffee.
And that's precisely what I've done.

My dad & Cindy got me the Keurig I was wanting for Christmas! Yay! After the blog post when I mentioned it, my dad let it slip that he was way ahead of me and they had already ordered one. I even got to have it early to take to Pat the Bunny's for the past couple weeks.
That is good, for coffee is not one of her accepted food groups.

It lacks the necessary sodium level to qualify.

So let's play catch-up now on the days leading up to Christmas...

The kids have been mucho excited.
And hyper.
And loud.
And a wee bit naughty.

Frankly they're lucky that Santa didn't hop right over them this year.

Crazy boy with his zoob crown.

Alex being a little mama to her cousin.

Christmas Eve cookie decorating...

Derek made one cookie, promptly started eating it, then dropped the snowman and decapitated him.

Resulting in this:

He refused to eat it, but was okay with giving it to Santa.

It tasted just fine.
I mean, that's what Santa told me, of course.

We have a tradition of letting the kids open one gift each on Christmas Eve.
It is always new pajamas.

Always.

Yet they have not caught on to that fact yet.

They were surprised and delighted by their new jammie-jam-jammerkins.

(Yes, we really call them that.)

Look what happens when you don't bring your stocking to Michigan with you.
The kids get to make their own...

... and I get an old nylon stocking.

For the record, I do not need a stocking. But somehow Santa always brings me some chocolate on Christmas morning and apparently needs somewhere to place it.

Christmas Day might have to wait for it's own post, but for those of you waiting for a Gone With the Wind post-- first refresh yourself here, because worlds are about to collide.

To be continued...

Halfway Home

2011-12-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Day 100.
This is the day I mark as halfway to the end of the deployment.

As with most facets of our military life, there is no actual date set in stone for Josh's return. Since traveling via fighter jet is unpredictable, I think that 200 days total for the deployment is a good guestimate that factors in some extra time for delays.

It feels like a long time ago that he left.
It's hard to imagine that we still need that same amount of time to pass before he'll be home.

But the days march on.
I'm grateful that we found out about our next assignment so early in the deployment. Focusing on the excitement of our upcoming Spanish adventure, and also working to learn a new language, has been great for both me and Josh.
After the kids and I get home, there will be plenty to keep me occupied as I try to weed through our household goods and make an attempt to purge some items. I think our next two homes, first in California and then in Spain, will be quite a bit smaller than the generous amount of space we currently have.

I talked to Josh today, and he's feeling a little under the weather. Hope it clears up and does not become a full-fleged man cold.
He's got no one there to answer his bell.

And he hasn't even had a hug in 100 days. Poor baby.
Though my guess is that bothers him less than another thing he's going without... ;)

Love you baby!
Soon we'll be counting down the days until my very favorite part of military life. After all, most married couples don't get to have a honeymoon every year and a half or so.

Glass half full, no?

I'll leave you with this parting shot of our daughter, which fairly aptly sums up her 'tude as of late.

The kids are excited about Christmas, overindulged by grandparents, and getting a little homesick as well.
The combination is a wee bit... challenging... to deal with.
I am requesting Santa either bring me a big box of patience, or a vacation sans children.

His choice.

Day 98

2011-12-20T20:36:00.001-07:00

Today I'm celebrating (from a distance) with several friends in our squadron. I wasn't able to mention it before, but quite a few of our guys were able to return home early from the deployment.

Unfortunately, Josh wasn't one of them.

It's a little tough to watch the reunions when ours is still so far off, but I am really happy for my friends who are getting an early Christmas gift.

Here is a short clip of some good friends of mine welcoming their husband's home.

I can't wait for our turn...

Day 97

2011-12-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

We had quite the festive weekend, how 'bout you?

Two years ago, the kids and I were here in Michigan for the holidays while Josh was deployed.
Sound familiar?

While we were here we took part in a local event called The Polar Express.
It was a big hit, so we did it again this year.

It involves boarding a bus that travels around the nearby neighborhoods to see the Christmas lights and decorations. They play The Polar Express story on CD while we drive, and even cut out special shapes from our tickets, just like in the movie.

The ride ends at the North Pole, where the kids can meet Santa and have cookies and hot chocolate. Oh, and the kids can wear jammies if they like.

Things that are true of our evening:

1) Alex and Santa hit it off.

2) Derek cowered in fear under a table for the majority of the evening.

3) Derek spilled his hot chocolate and had a meltdown.

4) My nephew, Caleb, wasn't quite sure what he thought about Santa.

5) My brother in law, Kent, is on the naughty list.

6) My niece, Kennedy, had a sudden-onset case of the giggles and couldn't even tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas.

7) Our group took up a whole bus.

Pat the Bunny, her brother Uncle Fred, his son Chris with his wife Michelle and their 4 kids, my sister and brother-in-law with my nephew & niece, Josh's sister and her husband John with baby Caleb.

Pictured here are all of the kids...

... minus Ian, who is the oldest and probably deemed himself too mature for the Santa nonsense, and Derek who was either hiding under a table or having a fit about spilled hot chocolate.

The two in the front and one on the left are Chris & Michelle's triplets.

See? Everywhere I turn I find something to be grateful for.
Like having my kids one at a time.

;)

Hey guess what? Guess what?

I'm going shopping tomorrow with my sister and no kids.
Yes I am.

PtB is taking the urchins with her to school tomorrow. She doesn't have any classes to teach and there are some special programs that she thought they would enjoy.

I think she's nuts and will spend the whole day answering a never-ending supply of questions and keeping them from tearing apart her classroom, but I'll refrain from telling her so.
Because then I wouldn't get to shop with no children.

If only our shopping trip didn't coincide with the week before Christmas, it would be slightly more ideal. But as my kids say, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.
Right?

(They don't often take their own advice, if I'm being honest. Derek got a cup of spilled hot chocolate and he did, indeed, throw a fit.)

Well I had better get to bed early tonight. I want to be in peak form for the shopping adventure.

Five Things

2011-12-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

1) Today at the grocery store I insisted on a price check when my elbow macaroni rang up $0.40 more than it should have.

I was feeling ornery.

It's the principle of the matter.
Even more annoying is that I'm sure they didn't correct it in their computer, so the next schmuck will have to wait while the slow-moving clerk meanders away to check the price.
Customer service is going down the tubes, people.
Jeepers!
Don't worry, I spent my time waiting wisely, as I had chosen to self-checkout in Spanish.

I just pushed buttons and tried to figure out what they were saying.

2) The other day, the kids received Christmas cards in the mail here at Pat the Bunny's house.
They were the thick kind that play music and require extra postage.
Three stamps each, to be exact.

Care to guess who sent them?

Yep, Pat the Bunny.
Sent from her house, to her house.

I have no idea why she didn't just put them in her own mailbox without wasting money on stamps.

I'm going to guess that she would not have requested the price check for 40 cents.

3) This is my boy, fresh and clean from the bath.

He said that he was the baby turtle's daddy and he was going to take care of him.
Isn't he sweet?

Then he told the turtle to close his eyes and go to sleep-- he would go fight the bad guys to keep him safe.

I love Daddy's who do that. :)

One such Daddy sent each of his kiddos a flag that he flew in combat.
They don't really get it, but they do enjoy using the flags as blankets for their stuffed animals.

Little patriots. ;)

4) I have not been poking nearly enough fun at Pat the Bunny this trip, but soon I shall remedy that with a post to be titled:

Food Groups according to Bunny, Pat the.

It will be entertaining.
Gross, yet entertaining.

5) This is my girl:

She likes Christmas.
And I like her.

Jeepers!

2011-12-14T18:55:00.000-07:00

To Whom it May Concern at the Jeepers! Headquarters, if indeed, anyone is concerned:

Today I took my children to one of your Jeepers! establishments. We were celebrating the half-way mark of my daughter's school year.
When we chose to home school, her only concern was missing out on the annual Fun Day of her former school. I assured her that we would indeed have our own Fun Day.
After all, even home-educated children need to leave the house once in a while, or so I've heard.
We tossed aside the denim jumper and the hymnal and we headed out to socialize.
Jeepers!

After careful deliberation, I chose your franchise for our festivities, as your website assures us that it is "America's Greatest Indoor Amusement Park" and the place "For Exciting Family Entertainment."

I knew it must be true when I saw that Jeepers! is always spelled with an exclamation point.
Dead giveaway for excitement.

After doing my careful research, including calling the location to confirm that they participated in $5 wristband Wednesdays (we are the thrifty sort), we excitedly headed out to ride unlimited rides and experience unlimited excitment. Jeepers!

Even the downpour of rain couldn't dampen the spirits of my youngsters.
Probably because they weren't the ones sloshing through the mud trying to get them loaded into the car.

Since your website clearly stated that you open at noon on Wednesdays, we headed off around 11:50am. Surely your special promotion on this middle day of the week brings in larger crowds, and we wanted to beat them in. Jeepers!

Pulling into the parking lot at noon, the children were dismayed to find that your place of business (term used loosely) was not exactly...open for business. After slopping through the puddles we found that your door advertises your opening hour as 1pm.

That was disappointing.

I was slightly to moderately hungry at the time, and the Jeepers! menu was to fulfill our lunching needs. Instead we headed next door to the Big Lots where we did our best to pass the time.
Fortunately, my kids gave me plenty to do as they wanted to know, every thirty seconds, if I would please check the time to see if we could go to Jeepers!.
We also had the privilege of utilizing rather poorly maintained public restrooms, and growing hungrier by the moment.

At last! It was 12:58 and I told the kids it was safe to walk next door and start Fun Day.
Brrrrr! Jeepers! The rain had picked up and the wind sure was blowing!

There was a handtruck sitting right in front of your doors and the Pepsi man was idling in his large truck in front of the entrance. It seemed he was attempting to make a delivery, but the doors were locked.
Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock.
Mommy, why can't we go in?
Mama-- I can see a fun ride through the window!
Mommy, why aren't the lights on?
Mama I'm cold! You said it was time!
Mommy, are the exhaust fumes from the Pepsi truck making you want to vomit?
Yes darling, yes they are.

About six minutes later, a man came running up to the door and unlocked it. Then the Pepsi man made his delivery. We walked in behind him and waited another 5 minutes for the lights to be turned on.
After all, there was only this one man to accept the delivery and turn on the lights.
Then we waited some more.
And some more.
The one man went through a ritual of sorts involving moving trash cans about.

Eventually he came to the counter where I was able to request 2 wristbands for my children. I tried to pay with my debit card, but had to wait another 5 minutes before the computers "warmed up."
Jeepers! was kind of getting on my nerves right about then.

You see, I was hungry. And I don't do well when I'm hungry.
Ask my husband, he can confirm.
Only he's a bazillion miles away at war, and was probably having a better time than I was at that moment.

Did you hear that Jeepers!? War would be preferable to starving in your poorly employed establishment.
Also, I might have a little PMS.
Can't rightly say.

I asked the one man who would be running the rides, and he pointed to himself. And then I asked if he would be doing the cooking as well and he muttered something I didn't understand.
But my stomach understood.

There would be no lunch for me.
Fortunately I had forced my children to eat a banana each in the car on the way over, so at least they were doing okay.

Because, after all, there was only one man.
One man to move trash cans about, to man the register, to operate all the rides, and I certainly couldn't take him away from those things to ask him to heat up the fryers and cook me some gosh-darn lunch, now could I?

So myself, and the few other agitated customers, did our best to coordinate our childrens' desires for which ride to experience, since of course one man can only operate one ride at a time. We got on the first ride at 1:30pm, a mere hour and a half after we arrived ready for some Jeepers! fun.

And Jeepers!, when people came in to discuss birthday parties, that one man was unavailable to help us with a ride for ten minutes at a time.

I know in this economy, we all have to cut back where we can. But if this is your company's idea of a good way to cut back, then pardon my french, but you kind of suck.

Sincerely,
Still grumpy.

Day 90

2011-12-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today we drove the 2 1/2 hours back to Pat the Bunny's house.
My kids are jumping up and down on my last nerve, so I've pawned them off on PtB for the evening and I'm hoping that they'll figure out how to put themselves to bed.

The last couple of days in western Michigan were quite festive. We decked the halls at Mimi's house, complete with a dinner of hot chocolate & candy canes, followed by some kettle corn and watching The Polar Express. Oh, and some apple slices for good measure.

We spent Sunday at Pepaw's playing outside and eating a yummy pot roast.

Have you ever seen two kids more excited about being pulled around on a sled?

It might be because Pepaw's idea of pulling the kids around is a little unconventional...

And fast.

Then we went traipsing through the woods, looking for animal tracks and the elusive perfect stick.

Mission accomplished.

Look! It's me in a picture that's not taken in a mirror!

Watch out:

Youngest member of the NRA

And if the dead deer hanging in the barn is any indicator, my father is definitely not a member of PETA.

The kids checked it out and reported that there was a huge deer with blood dripping off it's nose.

Nice.

They had so much fun outside that they wanted to do it all again after dinner.
I decided Pepaw could handle it on his own. They returned after dark, all in one piece and just a little wet.

So there you have a recap of our last couple days. Hopefully after a good nights' rest everyone here (read: me!) will be in a better mood.

Day 87

2011-12-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

Good news!
My husband has been gone for 87 days.

Why is this good news?
Well, because I apparently made a mistake along the way at some point in my bloggy day-count, and I thought today was day 84.
But it's not, and I get an extra three days to add to the count.

Which, in retrospect, means nothing because the days he's been gone does not directly correlate to when he will return home.

So.
Forget I said anything.

Still, we're inching ever closer to the halfway point.

Today we woke up to another dusting of snow, but unlike the last time, the temperature today was much cooler. Twenty-nine degrees to be exact.
But the kids begged, and I figured that even 15 minutes outside would be good for them. So I bundled them up and shooed them off into the yard.

One of the nice things about being here is the ability to throw the kids outside on their own. I think it's good for kids to be able to explore independently and have a little freedom outside. It's a shame that the world we live in today limits that so much.
So it was nice to give them a taste of autonomy; I didn't tell them I was watching from inside.
After all, Derek is only a tiny infant baby toddler, as you know.

Despite my predictions of lasting 15 minutes, Derek was the first to come in an hour and half later! Alex lasted a full two hours before I insisted that she come in and get checked for frostbite.

And the best part of a romp in the snow-- hot chocolate.

Alex & I are still getting her schoolwork done, though I scheduled a lighter load for our time in Michigan. Because we started in June, we are able to take our time and not fall behind. It has been taking us more like 7-8 days to work through the assignments meant to be done in 5 days, but we're still on track to finish the year out at the end of May.

Unless of course, a move preempts that plan. The preliminary news that we're hearing is that we might be rolling out of North Carolina sooner than we originally thought. Maybe just a few weeks after Josh returns from Afghanistan. I guess that means we'd have to trade in our DisneyWorld plans for DisneyLand plans. We'll just have to wait and see...a move I'm perfecting after 10 years in the Air Force.

We've spent several evenings having dinner and playtime at my dad's. I finally remembered to bring my camera over yesterday.
Here are Pepaw & Alex, and an attempt to get all three of them.

Derek had a case of the sillies, which later developed into a case of the naughties, which was resolved only after a good night's rest.
He's so easy to read-- when he gets overtired, in addition to being naughty, he also trips, falls, and bumps into things like crazy. I keep waiting for him to get a little taller, because being at counter height & doorknob height hasn't been working out too well for him.

The sun was still up when we got over to my dad's yesterday, so Pepaw took Derek out for a "hunt" in the woods. My dad is a big hunter, and dreams of the day when his grandsons will enjoy that with him.
He might not want to hold his breath though.
First Derek did not want to take Pepaw up on his offer to carry a small BB gun through the woods (Just so he could feel like the real deal, not to actually shoot it. Remember-- tiny infant baby toddler.) He told Pepaw that he'd better not because the "deers might see it."
I asked him today why he didn't want the deer to see it and he told me "they might think I want to shoot them, Mama!"
So I'm thinking he's not quite grasping the concept of hunting yet.
Though spending time in my dad's house should make it abundantly clear, don't you think?

Here's a shot of Derek snuggling with Mimi (my mom). I've been terrible about getting pics of the kids with our family.

On Monday we're heading back over to Pat the Bunny's house for a couple weeks. We have to change up the scenery every so often, to give the old folks some quiet time.

Here's your friendly reminder: 16 days 'til Christmas!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-12-06T22:22:00.001-07:00

It's been too long since I've joined in with the Wednesday Hodgepodge at Joyce's page.
So here we go...

1. Will you be hosting any house guests between now and the end of December? Does that thought make you happy or crazy? Do you do anything special for your guests to make them feel at home? How long should a house guest stay?

I shall not be having any guests, instead I myself will be continue to be a full-time house guest for all that time, and beyond. What luck!

If anyone is squatting back at our place, they would be guests of the uninvited variety.
And if you are reading this, could you start the robbery with that dinosaur of a TV we've got? I've heard of these things called flatscreens that apparently are all the rage.

I know because my mom's got, like, 6 of them.
See those guys on the field? I can see a booger in their nose from across the room.

Am I happy that I'm not hosting?

Why yes, yes I am.

When people stay at your house they eventually will need to eat, and that poses a litany of woes. Grocery shopping, meal planning, cooking, clean up. You know, the stuff of life that I try to minimize as much as possible.

Do I do anything special as a host to make guests feel at home? Well I consider stocking the fridge and changing sheets special, so yeah, I guess I do.

How long should a houseguest stay?

That depends-- do they cook?

2. Walter Elias Disney was born this week (December 5) back in 1905 ...what's your all time favorite Disney movie? Here's a list in case you're struggling...and yes, you have to pick one.

My favorite was always Beauty & the Beast. I like the music the best in that one, though I find the love connection startling.
About as startling as Josh would find my legs if he surprised me by coming home without warning. Not gonna lie. They too are a little beastly.

3. What was the last thing you purchased that you realized was a mistake after the fact?

Well the first thing that pops into my mind when I think of buyer's regret is that house we've got hanging around in Idaho.
I'm sure I've regretted something since then, but it pales in comparison.

4. What percentage of your Christmas shopping is done online?

This year it seems I'm doing almost all of my shopping online, but there is still plenty of time left to hit up some stores. I'd definitely say it will end up being somewhere between 50-75% online. The final touches & stocking stuffers will need to be done in-person.

5. Amaryllis-snowdrop-poinsettia...your favorite winter blossom?

Umm...what?

If it's not edible, I don't really care.

If it's drawn with icing on a dessert, I'll prefer the one that is buttercream.

6. What is one thing on your personal Christmas wish list? I think we all want peace on earth so let's make this answer an actual item.

My hubby with a bow on his head? I assure you that he's one hot item.

But I sense that your question wanted me to be a bit more realistic...

There are a few things that I'm thinking I would like, though not necessarily for Christmas. One is a new cell phone--though I'm backing away from the smart phone thing to just a better phone with texting.

(I realized that a smart phone is very useful if you're away from the house a lot. However I spent most of my time hermiting, where I have a perfectly ~~good~~ acceptable laptop, that doubles as a lap warmer/burner, for all my inter-needs.)

I've also kind of gotten hooked the last couple weeks on my mom's Keurig coffee maker. Since Josh doesn't drink coffee, it might suit us better to just make individual cups. So that's a possibility as well.

I'm supposed to be giving Josh ideas for my gift, but since the mountainous region of Afghanistan isn't known for it's shopping, I told him that I could just click "buy" on my own.

7. If you could only use one word today what would it be?

I'd better stick with the safe bet and go with "No."
After all, I have a couple kids.

And I also need to be prepared to reply in case I am propositioned on the street... Why, you look beautiful in your jeans and sweatshirt-- would you run away with me?

Hey. It could happen.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today I took the kids to story hour at the local library. The kids area was actually really nice, so I plan to go back again soon. At the start of story time there were only a few other kids there besides mine, and the librarian made it a point to say that it was apparently just a girls' day today.

Maybe time for a haircut for the little fella?

I don't think he looks like a girl all that much.
And he's the sweetest guy in the whole wide world.
And he says the word mama more than I thought was possible.

He starts and ends his sentences with it.
For example: Mama, do you see my picture Mama? Mama I colored it with a blue crayon mama. Mama, do you like it Mama?

It would be totally annoying if he didn't come up to me every few minutes to rub his cheek against mine.
He's a nuzzler.
And I can't get enough of him.

He can call me mama as much as he wants. Between the hours of 8am and 8pm.

Oh, and Josh he made that candy cane for you during craft time at the library. But then he decided you wouldn't mind too much if he just kept it for himself. ;)

He's special.

Day 78

2011-12-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Two posts in one day? I'm on fiah.

Well that or my husband sent me an e-mail earlier today insisting on some new pictures, of which I neglected to deliver in my previous post.
So here are some around-the-house quick shots of what we've been doing here in western Michigan.

The theme for our days is pajamas.
For obvious reasons.

Derek working at his desk... in pajamas.

Alex smiling...in pajamas.

Playing with Mark's iPad...in pajamas. And a sweatshirt over them for Derek.

Listening to Daddy reading a Christmas storybook...in pajamas.

Swimming in a bubble bath, about to put on...pajamas.

Napping with Cowey and Woofy wearing...you guessed it, pajamas.

Suffice it to say, our days here are comfie.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Kids

2011-12-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

Before Derek's 4th birthday in August, I stood in the middle of our messy, overflowing playroom and determined that I needed to put a little more thought into his birthday gifts lest I be swallowed up by one more piece of plastic that would be tossed aside and forgotten within weeks.

We found a couple of toys that really worked out well, and still get used consistently. I thought I would share some with you in case you are looking for good gift ideas for the little people in your life.

Pat the Bunny sent this set to Derek, and it is a really cool toy.

It comes with three vehicles that the little ones can take apart and put back together. It uses a battery powered screwdriver, and once together, each toy has a moving part.
Well made & not overpriced at $24, I think 4-8 is a good age range for it.

Actually, I kind of have fun with it too, so maybe 4-32 would be a better age range. ;)
You can find it here on Amazon: EZ Build & Play

Another toy that we've enjoyed is called Inchimals.

These are colorfully painted animal blocks that double as measuring sticks, from 12 inches down to 1. They come with a dry-erase book in which you can use the inchimals to do math problems.

Warning, your kids will start to say strange things. When baby Camille was over at our house, Alex said to me-- She's so tiny, I bet she's just one giraffe.

So we had to measure her, and it turns out she was a giraffe plus a bear.

;)

I also still really, really love the Seeds Family Worship CDs.

Bible verses set to music, and not annoying.
(Unless you are annoyed by the Bible. Then you might find them annoying.)
This link is to their website, but I think you can also find their CDs on Amazon.

One of my favorite things we got the kids started on was listening to stories on CD during quiet time and on road trips. They've really liked the Frog &Toad audio books, Winnie the Pooh, and Veggie Tales stories.
So audio books and maybe a CD player would make a good gift.

What I have not yet told my husband, because he is often unavailable for consultation (some excuse about a war or something), is that I just bought the complete CD collection of Dan & Louie stories for this year's Christmas. And they might have been a little pricey.
This is a blast from the past from my own childhood. Dan and his puppet Louie tell Bible stories and sing songs, and it may not surprise you that I can still sing some of those songs today.

After all, I have a memory devoted to useless trivia but it refuses to hold onto key information like where I put my keys or phone.

In defense of the cost, there are 20 CDs in the collection, and over 24 hours worth of stories.
And they are coming soon to a doorstep near ~~you~~ me.

Looking for a good game for the mini mathlete in your family?

I'm going to get this for Alex.

A friend had it, and it helped her kiddo learn his addition math facts in a fun way. It's called Shut the Box.

So there you have a few ideas, I'll share some more if I think of any. If you have a gift idea that your family really enjoys, feel free to share it in the comments so we can all check it out.

Now I have to tell you that everything written above this line, I wrote earlier today. I wanted to proofread the post before I published it, but I needed to go get the kids and myself ready for a movie date with Peepaw (my dad).
And wouldn't you know that after writing that, as we were getting ready to leave for the movies, I could not find my keys.
Like, really couldn't find them.

It took 3 adults looking for 40 minutes to find my keys.

And I only found them AFTER Mark searched through bags of garbage on my behalf.

Thanks, Mark.

Sorry, Mark.

Guess they weren't thrown away after all, Mark.

Are you glad we're staying at your house, Mark?

Oops.

But the kids and I made it to the movie. We saw Arthur Christmas and then spent some time releasing pent-up energy in the McDonald's playland.

Which means it is now disinfection time. AKA bathtime.

Later.

Day 75

2011-11-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a beautiful white world.

I could only hold them off until 9 or so before I was harassed into a morning snow adventure.
It was a perfect day to be out. The sun was out and kept us plenty warm, there was no wind, and it was simply beautiful.

We tromped through the woods in the back of the house, which was especially pretty. Wish I had brought my camera back there, but I had my hands full helping Derek up and down the hills and over the fallen branches.
He is not known for his athleticism.

Or coordination.

But he is awfully charming.

My snow angel.

Mama's not so good at making snow-people.

Or going to bed at a decent hour.
Or keeping a clean house.
Or saying no to ice cream.

But that's neither here nor there.

Spanish lesson of the day:

La nieve es bonita.

The snow is pretty.

Day 73

2011-11-28T21:23:00.001-07:00

Well I guess the good thing about my recent blog-slacking is that we've jumped right into the 70s on my day-counter.
Yep, jumping at the speed of molasses. It feels like Josh has been gone a long time, and we're not even nearing the halfway point.
But the good news is that he's doing well and we're doing well, and we have lots of fun things to look forward to in the next couple of years to make up for this time we're apart.

I suspect that most of you have been keeping busy with the Thanksgiving holiday and preparations for Christmas, and haven't even noticed that I've been a little light on posting lately.

Except for one of you, who keeps giving me grief about it.

He knows who he is.
And he is very handsome despite the furry creature on his upper lip.

We spent the holiday weekend hanging out, letting the cousins play together, gaming, eating, and watching Michigan finally, finally beat Ohio State.
I'm not going to lie.
The food was good-- but the victory was even more satisfying.

However, I may have washed the satisfying victory down with some homemade pumpkin cheesecake.
Can't rightly say.

Over the weekend, I was the butt of quite a few jokes about the way I live in the "dark ages."
There were five adults here, and 4 of them were surfing the 'net on their iPads.
Then there was me and my laptop that can't be unplugged because it wont hold a charge, has a broken backspace key, and gives my lap third degree burns.
They all got a good kick out of that.

And then they noticed my cell phone.

I'm sure I'm not the only one without a smart phone, right?

Or texting.

Right?

(I think I just lost the rest of you there.)

Some of you who harass me about my lack of technology (ahem, Betsy), might be pleased to know that Josh and I were just discussing today that I might upgrade my phone situation.
But the problem is that we'd want to find a phone that can be used in Spain, and Josh wants me to make a few calls and figure that out.

Problemo numero uno-- Erin doesn't like making phone calls. Hello? I'm the one with the pre-paid cell phone that burns my ear if I talk over 15 minutes. Obviously not much of a talker.

Problemo numero dos-- I'm supposed to be asking about things like 3G or 4G and sim cards and...I'm already lost.

So if any of you have the answers to all that, save me the trouble, will ya?

Now that my sister and her crew are back to their home, it's been a little quieter around here.
The kids seem to be adjusting well to all the moving around and changes. They just take each day as it comes, and enjoy the extra attention.
Meanwhile, I enjoy some adult conversation throughout the day, and having someone else able to fix the kids a meal or get them a drink, or help with bath-time. I've definitely been more relaxed.

At home for the last couple of months, by the time bedtime rolls around I am just so done with being the sole caregiver, that I try to get through it as quickly as I can to get some time to decompress.
Here I've been enjoying getting a few extra minutes with Alex to read a book or to snuggle with my little guy. It's been nice.

I do feel a little lazy though, as there just isn't as much that I have to do during the day. I'm going to try not to feel too guilty and store up all the relaxing for the last few months when I'm back to doing it on my own.

Overall, I'm feeling especially thankful this Thanksgiving season for all of the blessings in my life. I have a marriage that can withstand, and even thrive during, a long separation. I have a sweet daughter who is growing into such a precious little girl, a son who brings a smile to my face every day, and a family who is happy to let us disrupt their lives to make ours easier. We have an exciting overseas adventure to look forward to, and most importantly, we rest in the knowledge that we have a hope and a future beyond what this world offers.

I am blessed beyond measure.

And so very thankful.

Merry Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T13:31:00.000-07:00

I got this email from my husband this morning:

"Happy thanksgiving. If I don't have pics today, I'll kill you. Love you"

Well that wasn't very nice, now was it?

But because it's a holiday, and because I love him, I will provide this picture of my favorite 4-year-old riding a trike on a cold Michigan Thanksgiving morning.

I could eat him up.
If there was any room in my belly.

I'd have a picture of my girlie as well, but she was exploring the far reaches of the driveway, and mama was too cold to wait for her to get back.

Here's one of Alex and her cousin Kennedy from last night.

We've all descended upon my Mom & Mark's place for the long weekend.
Yesterday was also Mark's birthday. We had to be creative in the candle department, but the cake tasted good regardless.

He's either 10 or 55. You can guess.

Pretty sure Mark had an awesome birthday.
First I showed up, which makes anyone's day better.
Then we spent the better part of the afternoon hanging out at the Secretary of State. My mom had something she had to do there, and I needed to renew my driver's license while I was still in state.

After waiting in line just to get a number, I received lucky number 94.
The number on the screen at the time was 58.

So that was fun.

And for the third year in a row, he had to pick out his own birthday cake.

But I'm sure my presence more than makes up for that.

Mom and Mark are eating with his family today, and we are all lounging the day away, eating a mini-Thanksgiving meal.
Tomorrow we will indulge in the full meal, so if you don't hear from me it's because I'm in an eating coma.
Hope you all are having a great holiday!

Day 67

2011-11-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

I think I need to take Goldsboro, NC off of my weather channel homepage. It's depressing to see 70 degrees and sunny reported when it's actually 39 degrees and raining outside the window.

Why can't my family be from somewhere warmer?

Speaking of family, here are the promised pictures of my sweet little nephew.

He's a smiley little fella.
Except when plopped down between his cousins-- then he is understandably terrified.

Tonight PtB and I will begin gaming. Probably bananagrams so I can assert my dominance.
Then I will leave her in defeat as tomorrow the kids and I are making the trek across the state.

My mom was able to score me an appointment with her hair stylist tomorrow, which is big news if you recollect how many times in the recent past I've complained about needing a haircut.
I've worn a ponytail for the last month or so, because frankly it's been my only option.

In other news...
-- I am still coughing and blowing.
-- Longest lasting cold. Ever.
-- I raked leaves today for almost an hour and barely made a dent.
-- PtB has too many trees.
-- Alex and I have been getting school done in the mornings while Grandma is at work.
-- Derek has been doing a strange robot dance.

Here is a picture of my boys.

That's Josh on the left, and obviously Derek on the right.
It's easy to see that Alex looks a lot like her daddy, but harder for us to see exactly who Derek takes after sometimes. But I thought that they looked quite a bit alike in these photos.
Maybe just the mischievous smiles or the ghetto haircuts given by their mamas.
Josh is older in that picture, so Derek has some more tiny infant baby chub to his face, but I think that he's looking like his daddy.

Which will make some lady very happy in 20 40 years.
Because I have a very handsome husband. Whom I miss.

Hey Joshie, are you getting a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving?
Also, can I call you Joshie on the blog?

Signed,
Schnookums.

Day 65

2011-11-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

We made it to Michigan, safe and sound, and with no troubles on the road. Thanks for all your well-wishes!

I'm starting to feel like a true deployment warrior: I have tackled a broken vehicle, broken appliance, two hotel stays, big-city touring, and 1300 miles of road tripping in the past two months. Next up: Surviving 4-ish more months...and my family.

We are visiting first at Pat the Bunny's house and then we will make our way over to my mom's house for Thanksgiving.
I was able to meet my little nephew for the first time (pictures will be forthcoming), and PtB is already up to her old bunny tricks.

She set up an area in her basement where the kids can play, and she bought them some new toys. One of the toys needed a battery, and so she found one and installed it.
Then she determined that the battery was no good and off she went to the store to buy a new one, lest her grandchildren be forced to wait until a more convenient time in which she was, say, already out of the house.

But she would never do that to her sweet grandbabies. They must have their needs met instantaneously, else she would not be fulfilling her grandmotherly duty.

While she was gone, Alex came upstairs and mentioned that we might want to call Grandma and tell her not to bother, because she had flipped the battery so that it was inserted, well... correctly, and the toy was working.

6 year old vs PtB.

Point-- 6 year old.

Pat the Bunny has also been caught talking to someone on the phone, when it was indeed a voicemail she was having a conversation with, and also trying to call in an order to pick up dinner at the Chicken Shack using the remote control.
It's only been 2 days people.

Last night Derek woke up in the middle of the night. I went into his room to see what the problem was and, without turning on the light, asked him what was wrong. He replied that he could not find his pillow.
So I flipped the light on and realized that the reason he couldn't find his pillow was because he was no longer in the bed.
Nope, he was on the floor, with his head resting inside a suitcase.
I can see how that would make pillow-locating a wee bit challenging.
Poor little chap. It's his first foray into the world of full sized beds. Considering that he's just a tiny infant baby toddler, he's naturally been sleeping at home in a toddler bed.
He should fit nicely inside of it until puberty, I think.

So there's my quick update to let you know I've arrived, and soon I promise to be back with pictures.
Oh, and Josh is doing fine as well. The Armed Forces Network was showing the Michigan-Nebraska game yesterday, so he and I snuggled up on the recliner and watched it together.
I asked him to hold my hand, but technology falls just short of that feat. ;)

Halfway

2011-11-17T18:26:00.001-07:00

We made it safely to our stopping point today, despite hours of downpours, and even a few patches of snow showers.
A far cry from yesterday's weather when the kids were wearing shorts and I had to turn the air conditioner on in the evening.
It's now a little after 8 and the kids are trying to get to sleep while I hide in the corner with my computer.

I did a much better job of packing a small bag for our one night's stop than the last hotel fiasco, so it was a much simpler process to get checked-in, grab some dinner, and fit in a quick swim.
The swim primarily took place in the hot-tub, but I have no complaints about that.

I plan to try to get to sleep soon as well, if I can fool my body into thinking it's maybe 10:30 instead of 8:30. I'd like to get an early start tomorrow so I can possibly beat the afternoon rush hour in Detroit.

Missing my main squeeze tonight. Road trips aren't the same without you!

Good-night, West Virginia.

Day 63

2011-11-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

This will be short, because I took Nyquil about 15 minutes ago. That leaves about 10 minutes until I'm loopy and nonsensical.

Now that I think about it, you probably wont be able to tell much of a difference between my normal blogging and drugged blogging.
And that's not saying much about how y'all spend your free time.

I am feeling better, but still having enough cold symptoms to get away with one more night of Nyquil, especially since I want a good night's sleep before our trip.
We'll be ~~comin' round the mountains~~ driving through the mountains tomorrow on our way north. There will be lots of S-curves and semi trucks chugging up, then flying down the hills.

(That last sentence was for my mom, who gets freaked out by driving in the mountains. Hi, Mom!)

Like every other trip I've ever been on, I planned to have my house clean before leaving.
And like every other trip I've ever been on, that's not going to happen.
But the good news is that when I come home to my unclean house, I will probably be so sick of living with my family that I will be glad to get home, even to a house that's dirty!

Wait. That didn't come out the way I meant it.

What I meant is that I will be so refreshed from time with family, and all that help with the kids, that I will be excited to get home and mop the floor!

Better?
Better.

I'd fill you in on the last couple of days, but really it's been a blur of cold medicines and endless errands. Something like this:
Dayquil, Preschool, Oil Change, Homeschool, Motrin, Change Sheets, Return library books, Nyquil, Dance Class, Get Gas & Air in Tires, Dayquil, Pack, Awanas, Load Van, Nyquil

Oh, and THIS JUST IN:

My dryer is working.

I would have used bold font and underlined it, but I'm still not 100% sure that there is not some other underlying problem that caused the initial problem in the first place.

But let's not take away from the fact that I did, indeed, get my dryer put back together and it is currently able to dry my clothes with a carefully placed fire extinguisher sitting nearby.

Holla.

I will try to update tomorrow from a hotel room somewhere in West Virginia.
Providing that the state of West Virginia knows about the internet and has access to it. You never know about that place.
(Just kidding, Melanie.)

Day 60

2011-11-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Estoy enferma.
I am sick.

I an experiencing the common cold. But I assure you it is uncommonly miserable.

At the risk of sounding like a big baby...I cant sleep, I can't breathe, I can't taste, my nose is red and hurty, I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I want my husband to be home to take care of our children.
I've been resisting the temptation of Nyquil because I worry that I won't hear the kids if they need me, but the thought of a decent night's sleep might be winning out tonight.

Sorry. I'll pull it together now.

I started packing in earnest today and I'm a wee bit overwhelmed with the sheer amount of stuff a trip of this magnitude requires.
If you see me wearing the same things over and over for the next couple months-- I'm considering a less is more mentality in my personal packing.

I've also decided to skip Christmas cards this year. Christmas cards are a big thing among military families, because the annual card and letter is a fun way to keep up with a very mobile crowd. Now that Facebook is around, it's easier to keep tabs on people, but I still like sending out cards and an update.
This year it feels like one more task to accomplish, so I've pulled the plug on it.

It struck me as I was searching for boots and snow pants, hats and mittens, that I'm just a little crazy to be leaving a gorgeous North Carolina fall for a winter-in-progress in Michigan.
The kids played out back for a while today in flip flops and no jackets.
T'was lovely.

Alright, back to packing. And probably some Nyquil.

Sniffle. Sniffle.
Whine.

Day 58

2011-11-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

A Veteran's Day List

1) Alex put together this lovely ensemble the other day, and insisted on a photo.

Charming. Especially the shoe choice.

2) After promising Josh some new pictures of the kids, I told them to get together and smile as we were leaving for Awanas.
I asked them to please have mercy on their mama and just stand still and not be silly for 30 seconds.

They gave me 5.

Then this happened.

And this.

And finally this.

Better.

3) For some reason, my husband also requests pictures of me. Maybe because the only times I see him are on Skype when I have bedhead.

Last night there was a squadron coffee, so I snapped an off-centered mirror shot for 2 primary reasons:
-- I fixed my hair
-- I put on makeup

I'm not sure the last time those two things have happened on the same day.

I'm also not sure of the last time those two caterpillars above my eyes have seen the tweezers.

4) Dryer? Who needs a dryer?

Dryers are for the unimaginative.

Why yes, yes there are socks and undies hanging from the foosball table handles.
And no, a tornado did not actually strike our playroom.

The only force of destruction in there is my children. But I will say that they are a force to be reckoned with.

The dryer earning it's keep:

I was optimistic that the part might arrive in the mail today. Until I remembered that the mail doesn't come on Veteran's Day.

5) I've been trying to spend a couple of hours each evening working on Spanish. I have access through the Air Force to a couple of different language learning programs, and I've found lots of online resources too.
So if I don't start a new Words with Friends game with you, it's because I'm enriching my mind.
One taco at a time.

6) Happy Veteran's Day to my hubby who celebrated by flying the friendly skies of Afghanistan.
Except minus the friendly part.
Also, I heard that the chow hall celebrated with a root beer float stand and surf-n-turf.

Though the turf was fried shrimp. Not sure if that really counts.

Are they crazy party animals out there, or what?

Love you baby! I'm so proud of what you do for our country.
And of the way you look in a flight suit.

And out of a flight suit.

But let's keep it PG around here.

Day 55

2011-11-08T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hola.

All of a sudden I'm feeling a pressing need to learn Spanish.
The good news-- I have about a year and half to learn it.
The bad news-- It seems kinda hard.

Tonight I tried to order my food in Spanish at Taco Tuesday.
Or, Taco Martes.

Good thing the word "taco" is universal.

We had a busy day with lots of errands. I missed talking to Josh because we were out of the house, and by the time we got home he'd had to go to sleep.

When we first joined the Air Force, typical deployments were 4 months long. Now 6 months is the norm, and frankly that's kind of a bummer.
If it were a 4 month deployment, we would be almost to the halfway point.

Instead we have a mutual agreement not to talk about "when you get home" kind of things because it's still too far away.
Hopefully we'll both stay busy enough to help the time go by, and with learn a new language added to our to-do list, it should help.

Josh has a really short list.
1) Stay alive.
2) Learn Spanish.

Easy breezy.

I think it's hitting me, just now, how much I have to do between now and next week when we leave for Michigan.

Oh, and the dryer is still a work in progress. I conceded that I needed outside help in the form of someone who had, and knew how to use, a multi-meter to check the many different thermostats and thermal fuses that live behind my dryer.
I have learned more than I ever thought I would about this particular home appliance.
So now the troublesome part has been identified and is en route to my home.

Keep your fingers crossed that this takes care of the problem.
Or else I'm going to be showing up to PtB's house with a van-full of dirty laundry.

In keeping with the random tone of this post, can you guess who this little sweetie is?

Here's a hint.

I love babies that don't live at my house.
I'm sad that Camille, and the rest of her family, are going to be leaving next week for their assignment in California.

Saying goodbye to friends is another tough part of this lifestyle. But having the opportunity to make good friends is a perk. There is nothing like a military community for turning new acquaintances into "family" at a rapid pace.
There isn't any time to lose, after all.
If you haven't just arrived, you're probably on your way out.

It will likely be several weeks before we get our RNLTD (report no later than date) for language school, but there's some possibility that we'll be pulling out of here before we reach the 2 year mark in North Carolina.

It's definitely an adventure.

I think I've rambled pointlessly long enough.
Josh, new pictures tomorrow.
Promise.

Note to self: take some pictures tomorrow.

Adios.

Day 52

2011-11-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

If my guess of around 200 days is right, then we are past the 1/4 mark for the deployment.
So that's something.
small.

Alex came out of her quiet time with this letter for me to send to Josh. I thought it was sweet.
I introduced her to what a colon is (the punctuation, not the body part), but I think she may have gotten a little confused in how to use it. She's colon-happy.

I'll try to help with some of the less-recognizable words--
Dear, Daddy I love you. And I miss you. I wiss (wish) you dont have to go on a log (long) trip.We are praying fir you. I hope you fite the bad gise beycass taye muyt fily thaw allplan in to a nuttl big bilidin: agin. (fight the bad guys because they might fly their airplane into another big building again)
You must be sad beycass you miss us: But you Dote (don't) have to miss us: Beycass we miss you: insted.
We can't waite for you to cum home!
You love me: just like I love you! In 13 Days in to we go to missigin (Michigan)
We love yuir job.
Have fun.
I like yore not. (note)
This wuss a lag (long) note.
Have a fun Day.
Love Alex

She's not exactly a poster child for homeschooling, now is she? ;)
But she does love her Daddy.

And we're working on the whole u-looks-like-an-a thing.

In other news-- I have not succeeded in my dryer repair. But I haven't given up.

Though I probably should.

Also: Spain!

So we got our next assignment and could not be happier about getting an awesome opportunity to live in Madrid for a year!
It's a little hard to explain to my non-Air Force friends, but I'll give it a try.

As a major in the Air Force, you apply to attend a school for professional development. It's called Air Command & Staff College. It is one year long, and located at an Air Force base in Alabama.
There are also several non-traditional school spots available to attend the school of a different service (Army, Navy, Marines, etc.), some spots to attend other colleges in the U.S., and several foreign countries who each offer one spot in their schools. It's kind of a like a foreign-exchange program for the Air Force.
We were fortunate enough to be selected for one of those, and so Josh will be going to the Spanish Air Force's school in Madrid.
The classes are taught entirely in Spanish, so he will have his work cut out for him.
We will leave here sometime in the summer or early fall for Josh to attend language school in Monterey, CA. We're not sure of all the details, but our best guess is that we'll be there around 9 months or so. Then we will leave for Spain in the summer of 2013. The school is one year long, and we don't have any idea where we'll be sent after that.

Clear as mud?

Got questions?
Me too! ;)

I leave you with this little excerpt from Josh's letter to Derek.
Ever wonder what a daddy writes to his 4 year old?

I think Josh's handwriting is worse than his daughter's so I'll translate this one too.

Try to remember your three special steps before peeing.
1) Put the lid up.
2) Pull your pants down.
3) Make sure your penis isn't stuck to your balls (HINT: it always is)

Thanks for backing me up, honey. That's long-distance parenting at its finest.

Friday Night Trivia

2011-11-04T21:05:00.000-06:00

Let's play a little game of True or False, all about me.
Narcissistic much?

Here is a handy dandy list of things that may, or may not, be true.
Your job is to keep track of how many you think are true.

I went streaking in college...twice.
I know all the names of the Duggar children, in order.
I like hard boiled eggs.
I have jumped out of an airplane 5 times.
I am moving to Spain.
I have never gotten a speeding ticket.
I know a ridiculous amount of lyrics from 90's rap songs.
As a child, I would pretend to be a dog while in public to embarrass my sister.
I would also do that at home.
Sometimes I would pretend to pee on the potted plants.
My parents wouldn't let us have a dog.
They also never offered to take me to counseling, which in retrospect I might have needed.
I'm driving to Michigan in less than two weeks.
In 1989 McDonald's gave out records of their menu set to a song. I memorized it and can still sing it.

Alright.
Game over.

How many did you count that are true?

I'll give you a hint...

They're ALL true.

Day 50

2011-11-03T20:41:00.000-06:00

Who says you can't play board games with your kids when you're in Afghanistan?

You just need someone to move your turtle for you and you're all set.

I heart Skype.

In other news, we are at Day 50 and so far the minivan has broken and the next victim was the dryer.
The other night I went to check on a load and realized that while it was tumbling, it was not heating.

So I thought I'd try to fix it.

Raise your hand if you think I'm in over my head.

How about now?

Any doubt remaining?

You can put your hands down now.

I'll let you know how things pan out.
I ordered some parts online, and I'm waiting to receive them.

In the meantime, we're just wearing the same underwear over and over so as not to accumulate a lot of laundry. Those undies just take up so much space, you know.

Day 48

2011-11-01T21:31:00.000-06:00

Gangsta.

He's one tough dude.

No, Derek. Don't ruin it.

Don't go cheeseball on me.

He went cheeseball.
Happy gangsta?

Today is Tuesday. I know because I can smell my salsa breath.

Derek received his bus education this morning.
It would be awesome if they taught him how to work on the engine. Everyone can use a trade.

But I think they were just going over the letter C.

Alex and I opted for school a la McDonalds.

Because I was in need of that tall, tall cup of iced coffee you see there.
And Alex was in need of a peppermint hot chocolate with whipped cream and fudge drizzles.

They actually gave me the wrong drink to start with-- I realized just in time that she was about to down a peppermint mocha.
That wouldn't have been good for anyone.

Namely, me.

After dinner tonight, we walked down to Fruitti Yogurt, a newish place that opened up in the same shopping center as La Paz, made famous by Taco Tuesday.
(Some of you are just now getting my salsa breath remark.)

You fill your own cup and choose from about a hundred different toppings. Weigh & Pay.

Kiddies like it.

They even have a non-dairy option for the happy gangsta.

When we were driving home, Alex was singing along with the song on the radio and she said that it was her favorite song from church. She told me that she knew all the motions that they do during kids church.
So I told her that once we got home, I would find the song on the computer (Do you grooveshark? You should.) and she could show me.

Well.
I was not quite prepared for what was coming.

A few things:
1) If she dances like this at church, then she is never going to a club.
2) It seems I found some pants of appropriate length, but now need to work on shirts.
3) What's with the hip action?
4) I love her.

Day 46

2011-10-30T21:41:00.000-06:00

I took the kids trick or treating last night.
(The base had theirs on the 29th, the city will have it on Halloween. Which is the exact opposite of last year.)

My children haven't figured out that most kids get to choose a costume from the store each year.
They think it's normal to just go to your dress up bin and put something together.

Alex decided on a fairy, and Derek went as the worlds most adorable firefighter. He could put out fires with his cuteness.

A few days ago the high reached 80 degrees, but last night was downright cold. Go figure.
The kids didn't seem to notice, in their rush to collect the goods.

Brooke joined us, just like last year.

(Ignore Derek's plastic bag. He left his pumpkin sitting at home.)

So typically what happens after Halloween, is that my kids eat a few pieces of candy that night, and then I do the usual mom-thing and parcel it out one piece at a time over the next several weeks.

This presents a few problems. Namely, I have no willpower and I will eat the candy after the kids go to bed. And also, ever since Alex had her cavities, I'm trying to be better about limiting sugary treats. Dragging out the candy eating for the next month didn't seem prudent.

So we tried something new last night.
We got home, I put on an episode of Mickey Mouse, and I let them go to town on their candy.
They ate and ate and ate until the show was over, then after a thorough teeth-brushing, I sent their sugared up bodies right to bed.

Then first thing this morning, the eating resumed. Sunday morning cartoons and a breakfast of sugar.

I regretted that about 15 minutes later when I realized I couldn't send them back to bed.
So instead I sent them outside to run it off and we ended up with a new family member.

His name is Don and he's living in my dining room, of all places.

But I happen to think my family is just perfect the way it is. No Don necessary.

This is the last thing I see every night before I climb into the very middle of our queen sized bed.

I miss my husband.
(But I do like hogging the bed.)

Day 44

2011-10-27T20:46:00.000-06:00

Meet the Schore family comedy duo. They think they are very funny.

If I recollect, this "photo session" before Awanas last night ended with an exasperated mommy who wondered why it is impossible for two children to stand still for 10 seconds with a semi-normal face on.

What they didn't know is that the joke was on them.

Check out their jeans:

Can we say, last season's pants?
I obviously need to purchase my children some properly fitting jeans for the winter.
There is only one small problem-- shopping with the two of them drives me batty.

And they never go away.

So shopping without the two of them doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon.

I don't really see a resolution to this, so they might just have to wear short pants until I deposit them on Pat the Bunny's porch steps in 3 weeks and drive off without leaving any contact information.

Don't worry, PtB, I'll mail some jeans. You do not want to take them to the mall.

I think my trip north will be right in the nick of time.
Alex was writing in a special book that she received for the deployment to help her get ideas for writing letters to Josh. This particular page had a "sunny day" portion and a "rainy day" portion. She was supposed to write the best part of her week into the sunny day, and the worst in the rainy day.

I can't remember what she came up with for the best part, but I distinctly remember her telling me that the two worst parts of her week are that:
1) Daddy's gone
and
2) Mom usually yells at me.

I refrained from telling her that she usually deserves it (and that she gets her exaggeration skills from her father), and instead told her that I'm sorry if I've yelled at her.
But if she understood the feminine cycle she would just give me a break from her incessant talking, aggravating her brother, and do what I tell her the first time.

Methinks my patience is running a wee bit low this week.

I did move school on Tuesday to a location where we could snuggle up with some hot chocolate, and she was very happy about our "date."
Of course she doesn't remember that when it's time to tattle on mommy, eh?

Alex also told me today that she was going to count all of her Halloween candy when she went to bed to make sure that I wasn't sneaking it while she was sleeping.

When did she get so smart?
And also, she knows me really well.

Day 42

2011-10-25T21:35:00.000-06:00

For some reason I can't watch The Biggest Loser without having a snack. This seems counter-intuitive, but nevertheless true.

Don't worry, I've settled for grapes.
I'm triple-tasking- TV watching, eating, and blogging all at once.

What talent!

Yesterday I took the kids to get flu shots. I didn't tell them what we were doing until we got into the clinic. Then Alex asked and I was forced to fess up.
They both were doing this whimpering thing all the way down the hall. There was much moaning from my oldest, until we were checked in and they said that everyone eligible would be getting the flu mist instead of the shot.

So Alex and I were going to receive the mist, but poor Derek had to have the flu shot, plus two other immunizations that he was needing.
(Since he has reactive airway issues, he can't have the live virus that's in the mist. Oh, and he's not really supposed to have the shot either, since it's egg-based, but he's starting to tolerate eggs better so I figured it was worth the risk. Mama can't handle the vomit.)

All the sudden, Alex was quite nonchalant about shots. "Don't worry Derek, it's no big deal. It will help you stay healthy and it will only hurt for a second."

Ha. Funny how one minute earlier she had been the one on the verge of tears. ;)

Fast forward to Monday night, and my little guy started to have his usual reaction to immunizations-- fever, chills, and just plain not feeling good.
Poor kid. His body overreacts to everything-- milk, eggs, peanuts, illness, vaccines, you name it.

So I moved him into my bed because I wanted to keep a close eye on him.

I saw literally every hour on the clock throughout the night. He whined, whimpered, tossed, turned, and shivered all night long.
And that boy MOVES all the time.

Once, I reached over to feel his forehead to see if he needed another dose of Motrin.
Instead of his head, I found his little bum.
He was everywhere.

Mama had a big 'ol cup of coffee this morning.
And a nap in the afternoon.

We were up from naps just in time for Taco Tuesday.
Which is not colorfuel approved, but you gotta live a little, right?

We've been able to skype with Josh a couple times over the past few days.
He's still doing really well, which in turn makes the deployment easier on me, too.
If he were miserable, it would make the sacrifice of being apart that much harder.

I'm married to a man who is smart, brave, loving, and who has really good taste in women.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I love him.

The playhouse (hours of painting entertainment!)

I have no reason...

Josh, I tried twice. Messed it up twice.

Sorry.
I was looking a little rough anyway. I still need a haircut.

Happy Tuesday People.

Day 39

2011-10-22T19:12:00.000-06:00

Today is Saturday.

This morning, some friends and I threw a surprise baby shower for our friend Ashley.
My primary job was to bring the sandwiches. (They give me the easy tasks, because they know I'm no Holly Homemaker.)

I ordered them early in the week and arranged to pick them up at 9:30 this morning, because the shower was starting at 10:45 and the girl who was hosting lives about 25 minutes from my house.

I was totally prepared this morning. Thanks to my cleaned out closet, I had even chosen my clothes last night. My friend Amy did the dirty work and arranged for the babysitter, so all I had to do was get the sandwiches, drop the kids off at Amy's, and head to the shower.

The plan was going smoothly until 9:31 when I was standing in front of the deli counter and the workers were acting like they had no earthly idea what I was doing there asking for sandwiches.

Do you know how long it takes to slap together 4 feet of subs? I'll tell you-- twenty minutes.
Twenty long minutes.
Twenty minutes of the kids running circles around my cart.
Twenty minutes of thinking I could do it faster myself.
Twenty minutes wondering if I was going to get the sandwiches to the party before Ashley arrived for the surprise.

I made it.
But my morning of zen was ruined.
This is what I get for making an attempt to be on-the-ball.

I thought that might be the lowest point in my day, until 4:30pm when I had a temper tantrum in the driveway.
Not the kids.
Me.

I was simply trying to replace the tube in the tire of Alex's bike. But I could not get the darn old tube out of there. I tried everything, and it just wouldn't come off the rim.

I realize now that this is really not a big deal, and I can certainly ask someone for help or take it somewhere, but it was just frustrating and I really wanted to throw the whole wheel across the yard.
The kids wouldn't stop trying to "help" me and Alex kept asking when she was going to be able to ride her bike again.
I may or may not have told her that she can ride again in the spring when daddy is home.

Sometimes I just want my husband to be home.
Maybe even more than sometimes.

Overall we are doing really well, but there are always those moments that remind me of how long we still have to go.
Going to church without him is always one of those times, and many days I think I would be a much better mommy if there was just someone else to step in now and then and deal with an argument, give a bath, or wipe a tushie.

39 days down.
About 4 weeks until I head north and get a reprieve from grandparents, aunts, & uncles.

I miss you, Josh Schore.
I might even kiss you with that mustache if you were around.

Maybe.

Sorry for the lack of pictures, my love. I'll do better.

But I do have this-- Alex reading a story she wrote for school. It had to be about a bug, and needed to show personification.

Can I just say that I'm re-learning a lot of things I'd forgotten? This is alarming, as she is in first grade.

I love that the wings were "bright and colorful." Have you seen her wardrobe? Of course they were :)

Sister Wives

2011-10-21T14:16:00.000-06:00

I decided about a couple of seconds ago that if I have a title for a blog post then I'm going to go ahead and use it, and save the day numbering for when I can't think of one.

Aren't you glad I'm keeping you informed of the minutia that goes through my brain on a moment to moment basis?

Today we will be discussing Sister Wives.
Not the TV show, because I've never seen it.
Not because I'm not interesting in seeing it, but because I basically rely on my husband to help me do things like search for and record shows on the DVR.
And when he's not here to remind me, those things fall to the wayside.

Other things that fall to the wayside: replacing blown light bulbs, shaving my legs, and having sexual relations.

Now that I think of it, I suppose I could do something about 2 of those issues.

Moving on.

Today after Bible study a couple of the gals were planning to run over to Sam's club to grab a few items and to dine in their uber-classy cafeteria. So the kids and I joined them. As we were walking in, my friend commented that we really looked like sister wives with our crazy brood.

3- 30-somethings
1- 6 year old
1- 5 year old
2- 4 year olds
1- 3 year old
1- 2 year old
2- 5 month olds

It was a hot mess. All of the tables were full until we arrived and suddenly folks just started to clear out. Wonder why?

I wanted to stand on a table and say "I'm sorry we are about to make your dining experience unpleasant. This is what happens when you eat lunch at a warehouse store. Stop feeling sorry for yourselves, and feel sorry for us. Our husbands are in Afghanistan and this is our idea of a good time."

We hadn't even gotten the kids settled at a table yet when Derek had an urgent need for a potty break. Then one of the twins had a leaky poopy diaper. Then she threw up all over her mom. There was pushing on the bench seat, admonitions against potty talk, tears over a dropped hotdog, and big sisters getting hit in the head with little brother's cup.
All of this was followed by the processional out to the parking lot.

Me pushing a cart with a three year old and bulk quantities of diapers and formula. One mom pushing a double stroller with two infants, one mom holding on to a two year old, and three "big" kids hanging from the cart.

Total success.

There really is something special about the bond you forge as a military wife, especially in a fighter squadron. Because our guys all deploy together, we rely on each other for just about everything.

Including cleaning out each other's closets.

So my friend Katie, who will be moving in about a month to California (boo!) and who just had a new baby (yea!), heard me say that I planned to clean out my closet while Josh was gone.

Now.
Some of you know this about me, and others, like Katie, just choose to believe the best about me against all reason.
I am a procrasterbator.

I mean, procrastinator.

Yes, my closet did need to be cleaned out. Yes, there might possibly have been an item or two with shoulder-pads in there. Yes, I've had clothes in there that I haven't worn in over 5 years.
But when I said that I was going to clean out my closet while Josh was gone, I meant that I was going to talk about cleaning out my closet for about 4 months. Then I was slowly going to motivate myself to do it during the 5th month. Finally, about 3 days before he returned home, I was going to spend about 15 minutes in my closet, purge an item or two, and pat myself on the back for a job well done.

But.
Apparantly closet-cleaning is near and dear to Katie's heart. She quite literally begged me to let her help. She set the day and time, and I knew it was inevitable.

Ladies and gentlemen. She is serious about her closet cleaning.
If I so much as paused to ponder whether I would actually wear an item of clothing, it was an immediate no from her and she snatched it from my precious little hands.

Goodness, would you look at that pile?

Guess who has a lot more room in her closet these days?

Love me some sister wives.

Disclaimer: No husband sharing ever has, or ever will occur.
Keep your hands off, ladies.
He's all mine.

Disclaimer's Disclaimer-- I promised Josh that if I used that photo, I would tell you that it was an attempt at being ironical and that he does not, indeed, actually think he looks cool in the oversized sunglasses, a shaved head, and a pedophile mustache.

How's that, honey?

Day 36

2011-10-19T19:30:00.000-06:00

Let me finish up recapping my weekend in DC before this turns out like my Disney blog posts.
You know, in which I detail every ride, meal, and bathroom break for the first two days, and then wrap up the remaining 5 days with a sentence like: "Mickey, Princesses, Funnel Cake, Yea!"

I believe I left off with some pictures of our time on the Mall. Here are a few more taken in the Natural History Museum:

They had a "Discovery Room" with a lot of hands-on things for the kids to do.

Of course I only took a picture of one thing, because I was busy not losing my children who like to run in opposite directions.

Alex ogling the Hope Diamond. She is a princess, after all, you know.

This isn't a good picture, but we had made it a point to stop by the mummy exhibit. Alex has been learning about ancient Egypt in her schooling, and it was neat for her to see a real mummy.
Well neat, and kind of gross.

When we were too tired to explore any more, we took the Metro back to the van and drove a few miles to my friend Melissa's house. She and her husband Mike had so kindly offered to host our little reunion at their home. They live in a beautiful neighborhood in Virginia, and the fall colors were really starting to turn.

We spent the next two days catching up, eating, watching football, and playing Words with Friends online while sitting next to each other.

We always were a little strange.

Here's the crew:

Left to Right: Mike, Melissa, Nicole, Me, Dana (holding Stella), and Karen.

We were smiling because it was still halftime when we took the picture and we hadn't lost the game yet.
It was not a good weekend for Michigan sports. First our beloved Wolverines lost, then the Tigers, then the Lions.

Lions and tigers and wolverines. Oh my.

Poor Mike was surrounded by a bunch of gals for the weekend, but he was a great sport. And Alex took to him right away. Maybe a little too much; she wouldn't leave him alone.

We had fun getting away for a little bit, and it was a good practice run for our drive up to Michigan next month.

In other news, Derek has regressed in going through the appropriate steps to a pleasant bathroom experience.
Thrice since Josh has left, my sweet son has forgotten the final stage of preparation, in which he must rectify any sticking of penis to scrotum. Thrice he has peed down his pants and onto the floor directly in front of the potty.
I'm getting a little tired of it.

So now we're back to the rather undignified reminder as he runs to the bathroom. "Please make sure your penis isn't stuck to your balls."

It just doesn't feel right to yell that across the house as he jets past, but it seems it cannot be helped.
I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Tonight was Awanas night again. I had to forgo my usual dinner date with the other temporarily single ladies in favor of running a few errands sans children.
Funny thing about those kids-- they never go away. I must carefully ration my 1.5 hours a week of kidlessness to get the optimal amount of errands accomplished.

Do you live near your family? Does said family ever watch your children for you? This is just a friendly reminder to appreciate that. Because it really kind of stinks to have to get a babysitter so you can get a haircut, or go to a baby shower, or even worse, go to the dentist.

This post is really getting away from me.

I'll leave you with my moment of awakening that I had tonight while in the dressing room of The Targets:

I am going back on Colorfuel.
Like, tomorrow.

That is all.

Day 35

2011-10-18T20:49:00.000-06:00

Josh really likes it when I have a new post with pictures for him to see when he gets up in the morning.
Though I'm really not sure when exactly he gets up. Time differences have never been my strong point.

But it is 10:40pm and I promised myself to be sleeping by 11 tonight so I don't have time to finish up my DC trip recap. So he'll have to settle for this:

Derek ready to get on the bus this morning.

It was very sunny.

But Alex and I were prepared for the sun with our matching paparazzi sunglasses.

Disregard the fact that my hair looked like a wet mop.
It was wet. And I assure you I was only moments from grabbing the pony-tail holder.

I need a haircut.

And here's something to wrap this post up.

The other night Alex got out of the shower and was looking at herself in the mirror.
She said: "I don't think I look as pretty as the princesses."
Me: "Don't let Daddy hear you say that! He thinks you're the most beautiful princess."
Alex (pouting): "Do you think I'm as pretty as a princess?" (Vain much?)
Me: "Well I think when you're pouting you're not as pretty as when you smile."
Alex (VERY disgruntled): "You hurt my feelings. You said I wasn't pretty. I'm going to tell Daddy."

I defended my comment to no avail.
The next morning Alex brought me this to send to Josh:

(Translation: Mommy said last night I am not a princess. This is me last night. I cried. Love Alex.)

For the record-- that is not what I said.

It's 10:47. Good night.

Day 33

2011-10-16T21:22:00.000-06:00

The kids and I made it back from our little getaway this past weekend.

And look what happened while we were away!
We marked one month off this deployment.
1 down, 5.5-6ish to go.

Miss you bunches, my love.

So Derek's preschool had been canceled on Thursday because his classroom was in the shop.

Yes, yes. Go ahead and laugh.

I guess the wheels on the bus don't always go round and round, eh?

I took that as a sign that I should go ahead with my plan to drive up to the DC area a little early. We left Thursday morning and made good time; it's about a 4-4.5 hour drive.

I had reserved a room on Andrews Air Force Base in the VOQs (visiting officers quarters).

My dad was in the Air Force, and we lived in base housing on Andrews for 15 years. After we arrived and had lunch, I drove the kids around a bit and showed them where I used to live and play.

Alex asked in her best bored voice, "Mommy why do you keep telling us about what you used to do?"

Well pardon moi, I thought she might care to know.

I thought wrong.

Once it was check-in time, we headed over to the hotel. I checked in and then took the kids back to the parking lot to grab our belongings.

Shockingly, they were no help.

I had a suitcase, a backpack, a laptop case, toiletry bag, purse, and the ever-important flat-iron on my person as we walked back across the bigger-every-minute parking lot and inside the building.

That's when things got ugly. Let me take you back in time with me...

I made two wrong turns looking for the elevator.
Bags were beginning to hurt my shoulders.
Got up to the third floor, turned left, and traveled what felt like a mile to Room 8348.
Shoulders were definitely cramping at that point.
Have you seen what kids do when they get into a hotel hallway?
Grrrr.
Pulled out the room key.
It was for Room 8748, which would have required a right turn at the elevator.
Deep sigh.
Herded the children and stuff back through the maze, past the elevator, and finally arrive at Room 8748.
Might possibly have required a double arm amputation if I didn't drop the bags soon.
Pulled out room key.
KEY DID NOT WORK.

GRRRRRRRR.

Took children and belongings back to check in desk on first floor.
There was a line.
A slow moving line.

Finally got a new key and repeated the trip up the elevator, over the river, and through the woods.
Arrived at Room 8748.
Hallelujah, the door opened.

Entered room.
Something was amiss.
There was only one bed in the room.
That seemed strange, because I distinctly remembered making the reservation for 1 adult and 2 children.
And I'm not on board with the family bed.

Picked up phone and called the desk.
Apparently the VOQs are all only one bed units.
Which would have been helpful to know when I made the reservation.

By that time we were running late to meet a friend of mine at my old school, so we just freshened up a little and left. Then I was able to have a late dinner with another friend before finally making it back to the room around 9pm.

My kids + road trip + candy on road trip + no nap/quiet time + up late= Monstrosities.

I got to sleep with my girl while Derek used his PeaPod tent that I thankfully had packed for the rest of the trip.

The peapod is convenient, yet loud.
Every time he moved it sounded like he was jogging in cheap windpants.
And he moved ALL NIGHT LONG.
In other words, it wasn't a great night's sleep for yours truly.

In the morning we got up, got cleaned up, packed up, and headed down to check out. Thankfully that went better than check-in.

Note to Josh Schore: Thank you for all the schlepping you do on our hotel trips. I never realized exactly how much it stinks until I have to do it all by myself.

It was a little rainy, but I decided to go ahead with the plan to visit the Mall before heading over to my friend Melissa's house where our mini-reunion was taking place.

We visited the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, and the sculpture garden.

Naturally, the highlight for the kids was the Metro and the escalators.

Waiting for our train-

(Poor Derek had to wear a size 24 month raincoat. See? He is still my baby!)

Alex on the Metro. Beware the sleeve-eating monster on the orange line.

Derek & Alex at the kids' area of the National Museum of American History.

Outside of the Star Spangled Banner exhibit-

It was just dripping so we went to the middle of the Mall for a shot of both the Washington Monument...

...and the Capitol building.

Sculpture garden-

Six in the City-

To be continued...

Day 28

2011-10-11T20:52:00.000-06:00

Really? Is it only 28?
Feels longer.

But this coming weekend will be full of fun and adventure as the kids and I head out on a trip to Washington, DC.

Little-know facts about yours truly---
I grew up a few miles outside of Washington DC
I went to the same small, private school from 6th grade through high school graduation
I used to do a lot of Steve Irkle impersonations in junior high
I wore thick glasses and braces, had a perm, and, well...better just show you the picture again:

The DC area was probably happy to get rid of me.

But this weekend, I'm going back to meet up with several of my college housemates for a little reunion and to watch the Michigan-Michigan State game together.

I'm pretty much a die-hard Michigan fan. Last week I listened to the game online because we don't get the Big 10 network. That's some dedication, right?

We brought Alex home from the hospital in this little gem:

(In my defense, we did not know if she was going to be a boy or a girl. Also, we didn't know that babies were so tiny when they came out.)

I am excited that we've had a great season so far-- even if we haven't faced very tough opponents up til now. It's the first year with a new coach and I'll take whatever wins we can get.
Go Blue!

I'm planning to go up a day early and stay the night at my old stomping grounds, and hopefully see some high school friends.
So if you're reading this, and you're a high school friend who wants to see me...

Wait.
I forgot about the Steve Irkle thing.
I'll probably just have to drive by some old hangouts and call it good.
But do wave if you see me. Even if I was a nerd.

I think this will be the first time I've ever stayed in a hotel on my own with the kids. And even though I learned to drive on the Beltway, I've been in small towns for so many years now that I'm a little nervous about city driving.
Wish me luck! And watch out for a slow-moving minivan with Idaho plates.

Update-- after speaking with my husband, he would like me to clarify my invitation-- If you are a high school friend who I have not kissed then we should catch up!

What can I say?
I got rid of the glasses, braces, and perm. Then I grew some boobies.
Hence, kissing.

(Note to self-- do not buy Alex contacts. Purchase many perms. Ask the orthodontist to take his time. Hope for a flat chest.)

That is all.

Except for this--
I found it when I was looking for her coming home picture. Alex and PtB have always been good buds.

And this--

That guy's hot.
And he has a cute baby, too.

A Special Day

2011-10-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

This post gets more than just a number-- it is a very special day for our little family.

Last night, Alex decided that she was ready to pray to become a follower of Jesus!
I'm so very grateful that the Lord has softened her heart and given her the gift of a simple faith in him.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so no one can boast.

I only wish that her daddy had been home to hear her prayer. She didn't hesitate or even ask me what she should say; it was a sweet, sweet moment.

Afterward she said, "Mommy, do you think Daddy will be as excited as you are when I tell him?
I don't think he's going to cry like you."
She laughed at me for crying, but I couldn't help it. I told her they were happy tears.
And as I closed the door to her room, I told her that the angels in heaven were having a celebration for her.

I know that many of you reading this blog do not share our faith, and I thank you for putting up with these posts that are more faith-centered. I hope you never feel 'preached at' or offended by anything I might write.
But I want to take a moment and just encourage you to consider what you believe about God, the Bible, and Jesus Christ. The way modern culture perceives Christian religion is so far off-based from what it is to truly be a servant of Jesus. The joy, peace, and freedom of a relationship with your Creator is something I wish for each and every one of you.

*Stepping down from the pulpit*
;)

Today for school, Alex had an assignment to use her imagination and write a story about being someone or something other than herself. She wouldn't tell me what she was going to write about, but she came back with this--

(I'll copy the spelling and grammar exactly so you can see what an awesome teacher I am.
Ahem.)

I am a ajole. Sm butty ast Jesus to be the Lode of theaw Life. I and my ajole Frens are Frin a porty. Jesus is sooooooooo Happy taht he crid foR joy!

Somehow when she wrote it, it took up a whole page.

Translation: I am an angel. Somebody asked Jesus to be the Lord of their life. I and my angel friends are throwing a party. Jesus is soooooooo happy that he cried for joy!

I love that little girl.

Day 26

2011-10-09T15:19:00.000-06:00

The best part of my days looks like this.

When we're chatting and the kids are running around in the background, it doesn't feel at all like Josh is on the other side of the world.

But as soon as we hang up, he seems very far away.
Partly because once that little icon on Skype disappears, I have no real way to reach him if I need to ask a question or get his input on something.

You know, like when you've been sitting in a car dealership for an hour and 45 minutes with your monsters and some guy is telling you that you need a part that costs over $400 and you kind of just want to get your husband's opinion on that.

Decision making is not a strength of mine.
Luckily in this instance, the decision was pretty much made for me-- agree to the part, or take my pinging van home to wait for the pinging to drain the battery.
That would solve the noise, but it would make driving difficult.

(Also, at that point I probably would have paid $436 dollars just to get out of that waiting room.)

I'll just have to tell Josh to watch his spending over there to make up for it.

(That's a joke. There's not a whole lot of shopping over there. Also, you should see our grocery savings here at home! He eats more than I thought.)

But just knowing that I can't pick up the phone and call him is a definite inconvenience. I usually try to get an idea from him as to when he'll be online, and then if I'm home I leave the computer up and listen for the sound that means he's messaging me.

It's not ideal, but it beats this oh-so-generous offer from the Air Force:

I know that beats what a lot of Army and Marine wives are getting these days, and blows out of the water what the spouses of the World War vets had, but 30 minutes a week is just not quite enough for little 'ol me.

Josh is in good spirits over in Afghanistan. He sent some pictures to his family along with this little snippet--

I miss you all, but I'm having a great time here. I have a bed, a shower with hot water, as much food as I want, time to work out every day, a terrible mustache (thanks, dad), a shaved head and I get to carry a gun everywhere...besides having Erin and the kids, what else could I want?

He makes me laugh.
Let me get this straight:

Bed + Hot Shower + Food + Gym + Upper Lip Hair - Head Hair + Gun= Man Paradise.

They are definitely the less complex gender, are they not?

Enjoy it, my love. The real world will be waiting here for you when you get home.
And the real world requires head hair and no upper lip hair.

Oh, and I don't really care for guns either.

Day 24

2011-10-07T14:38:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the last day my friend Laura was in town visiting.
Derek's preschool class had a field trip to the fair, so we all tagged along.

We managed to get all 7 of us out the door and to the meeting point at the fair by 9am (ish). This was no small feat, since it only gave us about an hour to get everyone fed and dressed.

(Caveat-- While Derek is well-stocked w/ fall apparel, it appears that I did not have as much set aside for his sister. She has been wearing that polka dot outfit for the past 2 years. Ignore that. I need to do some shopping.)

Baby Kate was very tolerant of all the loving and petting she received from Alex.
Alex has not yet forgiven us for refusing to provide her with her very own baby girl.

And after spending a couple days trying to keep Kate from injuring herself in our non-baby-proofed house, I realized that I have no regrets about that decision. Instead, I will just enjoy my friends' babies, and then give them back!

This shot is just for Josh-- he used to give Drew a hard time about puttin' the moves on his baby girl.

One of the first things my kids said after their friends got into town was-- "Mom! Baby Reese can TALK now!" She is such a cutie-- but she's not a baby anymore.

Derek watching the stage show:

There were some Kenyan acrobats.

And a pig trained in classical dance.

And this:

Impressive? Yes. Audience appropriate? Perhaps not.
Derek was terrified that he was going to burn himself, and I'm sure there was a kid in the audience who was trying to figure out how to do that at home.

Pig Races!

So here we are trying to get a group photo.
Only Drew wasn't a big fan of his sister standing right in front of him.

So he put on his steely-eyed-death-glare, and gave her a ~~push~~ gentle nudge to the side.

And then turned on the charm.

Keep your eye on that boy, Laura! He's going to be trouble! ;)

Since I'm not willing to hand my camera over to the little people, this was the best we could do for a shot of the two of us. Taken in my van's window reflection.

The same van that is currently in the shop because it wouldn't stop pinging at me.
Like, literally wouldn't stop.
Not even when I turned the car off and ran screaming away from it.
Nope, still pinging.

When I walked in, the manager asked how he could help me and I told him that he could restore my sanity.
He agreed that the pinging was enough to make anyone go nuts.

And then he stuck me in a waiting room for an hour and 45 minutes with my children.

He obviously does not know the first thing about what makes people go nuts.

Laura, thanks for coming! It was so good to see you all :)

Day 22

2011-10-05T08:14:00.000-06:00

The reason why I'm not on my regular bloggy schedule:

You have no idea the volume level around here.
One six year old with a funny face, an almost-five-year-old, one 4 year old who needs a haircut, one 3 year old, and an 8 month old.

One word-- LOUD.

Derek, with his August birthday, is supposed to be in the same kindergarten class as Drew, who has an October birthday. (And who also happens to be in the 90th percentile for height.) They don't exactly look like they belong in a classroom together, do they?

Here is a picture of all the kiddos who were in existence when we went to Yellowstone together back in the olden days. They were babies!

Children are running wild, so I'm just going to close with a few pictures from the past couple days.

Alex ready for college:

Teddy was not permitted to join us.

She tackled some math problems that looked quite intimidating to her. She was so proud when she was able to do them all. She insisted on a picture to show daddy.

On Monday, Derek and I went to "Mother-Son Date Knight" at Chick-fil-A.

I heart Chick-fil-A. Not only was it the sight of a rather hilarious Pat the Bunny incident, but they also have the best fast food around, and they are very pro-family. They host special events like this frequently.

Derek and I were seated at a table for two, complete with a tablecloth and knight's shield for Derek to color.

Mimi the clown was doing face painting and balloon creations. Derek did not want his face painted, but he was a big fan of his balloon sword, belt, and helmet.

The sword popped in the parking lot and there was much weeping and wailing.

I loved having a little bit of one-on-one time with my little man.
But for now, it's back to the chaos! Wish me luck ;)

Day 19

2011-10-02T21:16:00.000-06:00

A Sunday List, because I'm feeling lazy.

1) After a couple days of missing each other, Josh and I were able to hook up on Skype twice this weekend. I do love to see his smiling face on the computer screen, and it's a must faster way of catching up than typing everything out.
Josh is doing well and staying busy.
Sometimes I get so caught up with the fact that he's just not here, that I forget that he's fighting in a war.

This is probably a good thing to forget, no?

2) I was reprimanded for a lack of daily blogging and also told that our son needs a haircut ASAP.
Some people are so bossy!

3) Our weekend was again rather uneventful.
Unless you count cleaning out my van as an event. Which I kind of do, because it might be the first time that's ever happened.

4) Fall showed up this weekend! The temperatures were in the 60's & 70's and it was glorious!

It has been 4 weeks since Josh gave Alex her new princess ballet leotard. And for 4 weeks in a row, she has worn it to dance class.
This week she was sad that it was too cold to wear it (it's sleeveless), so she disappeared into her room and emerged with it on over top of a long sleeved leotard.

I tried to get a picture of the kids outside of the dance school, but they were in the midst of an attack of the sillies.

5) We've been jammin' out to Veggie Tales silly songs in the car this week.

Have you ever heard the belly button song?
It's my favorite.

You should give it a listen. They harmonize really well.
You know, for vegetables.

6) I found this to be interesting:

Who else?
Well, I guess it could have been Bob.
Or Frank.
Or Ed, Mike, Matt, Joe, John, Chris, Eric...

But apparently the only person who could possibly be driving that old blue Honda is Keith.

And now I know.

(I'm not sure why I felt it necessary to blur Keith's license plate. It's not like he's going to great lengths to protect his own identity. Also, he's missing the question mark.)

7) When she crosses her legs like this and reads a magazine, I'm somewhat inclined to agree with Alex that she's ready to move to a booster seat.

8) Here's another shot of her at college. She always walks around the fountain a few times on our way in.

Then when she's getting restless at our table in the cafeteria, we climb 5 flights of stairs to the library study area.

P.E.- check.

She likes the view from the top.

8) Tomorrow we're meeting a couple other homeschooling families for lunch & a playdate. Then I need to get moving on some laundry and housecleaning before our guests arrive on Tuesday!

Day 17

2011-09-30T19:42:00.000-06:00

We've been on the go around here lately.
You know, what with my weekend starting at noon on Friday and extended through Tuesday morning, we have a lot of living to cram into the other few days.

Of course there was Taco Tuesday. And Thai on Wednesday during Awanas.
Hmmm.
No wonder the mirror was telling me that today is Fat Friday.

Yesterday after Derek was finished with preschool, we headed straight over to an outlet mall about 30 minutes from here. Josh needed a new pair of running shoes that would be more suited to the rough terrain at the base.
Naturally, while I was there I needed to hit all the other stores as well.

Naturally.

I have since renewed my decision: Zero Shopping is better than Shopping with Children.

Don't put your mouth on the mirror.

Come out of that rack of clothes.

Leave the mannequin alone.

Indoor voices!

But we were JUST in the bathroom 5 minutes ago, why didn't you poop then?

The drinks are in the car. Be patient.

No you may not have those.

Please do not point at people, you can ask your questions later.

And that was just 5 minutes in one store.

Frankly, I'm sick of my own voice by the time we're halfway done.

Once we made it home, we were all three tired and cranky. I was looking forward to relaxing in the evening, and putting Josh's box together so we could ship him his shoes and a few other things he needed.

Then I checked my e-mail and remembered that 1) I forgot to pick up the snack that I signed up to bring to Bible study in the morning, and 2) Josh had sent me an e-mail with another item that he needed.

So at 7pm we got back in the van and headed to The Wal -Marts to get those two things.

It did nothing to improve my mood.

This morning we rushed around getting ready early so that we could swing by the post office and mail the box before going to Bible study.

The two things with which I associate my worst moments as a parent are commercial airplanes and the post office.
So Joshua darling, please do not expect a plethora of packages in your future. I will do my best.

Today went fairly smoothly, but only because I was willing to go about my day with a pony tail.
Yes, I sacrificed my hair drying time to go to the post office at 9:30am, because the other option of going at noon did not appeal to me. You do not want to be at the post office with everyone else on their lunch break errands.

Or at least I don't.

This afternoon, I got the call that my friend Katie was in labor, so the kids and I ran over to her place to stay with her two boys while she got them a little sister.
I do love a new baby.

Especially one who doesn't live at my house.
I can't wait to get my hands on her!

A few weeks ago, I took some pictures for Katie of her cute preggo belly. She's one of those annoyingly adorable pregnant women.

Because I was not an adorable pregnant lady, and since she's in the hospital right now and can't stop me, I'm just going to go ahead and show you some.

See? She's obnoxious.
(Congrats my friend! So glad you've got your little girl!)

I've been terrible at taking pictures around here lately, but here are a few of Miss Alex in a new dress.

This one makes me laugh-- she wanted to be sure that her jewelry was showing. ;)
She is such a girl.

And she is also still awake at 9:30 because it is thundering out.

Oy vey.

Day 15

2011-09-28T10:41:00.001-06:00

It's Wednesday Hodgepodge Time!

I've been out of the hodgepodge game for a couple of weeks, but I'm jumping back in today.
Here's the lowdown-- Joyce asks the questions, we supply the answers.

If that's too complicated for you, then you should consider getting some more education instead of reading my blog.

1. It is officially fall here in North America...I realize not everyone who participates in the Hodgepodge lives in North America but if you do, what's your favorite memory of Summer 2011? If you're not in North America, what's your favorite memory of the season just ending on your side of the world?

It's fall? Tell that to 85 degrees with 1,000% humidity.

(Yes, I know that's mathematically impossible. But you should see my hair.)

I think my favorite memories from this summer are the times we spent at the pool as a family. We know that we will not always live in a neighborhood with a community pool, so I think that we relish it even more.

2. Your favorite nut? You know I mean the edible kind, right?

The kind that's hidden in the middle of my Almond Joy.

(I suppose that would make it an almond.)

3. What activity puts your sense of balance to the test?

Getting out of bed in the morning. It's stressful, but it has to be done.

4. How would you describe your sense of humor?

Sarcastic with a splash of cruel.

5. September 28th is National Ask a Stupid Question Day...what's your stupid question?

Josh, can you come home now?

6. Roller skates~hula hoop~jump rope...which activity would you most enjoy? Yes, you have to choose.

I have a weighted hula hoop that I use occasionally when I'm watching TV. One of these days I'm just going to hula my love-handles away.

Stay tuned for when that actually happens.

7. What's your most sentimental possession?

I've been thinking about this for a while.
I got nothin'.

I'm not a very sentimental person to start with, and I don't own any family heirlooms or anything very valuable.
Though if we keep this TV any longer, it might become vintage.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

This morning I went with my good friend Ashley to her 20-week ultrasound appointment. Her hubby is away at an Air Force school for 6 months, so I got the honor of being with her to hear the big news! (I wont say what she's having since she hasn't had time to share with all her friends & family yet.)

Other than making a few inappropriate jokes about how we looked like partners and that I was going to be taken as the man of the relationship, I was on my best behavior.

It was the same room that I was in when we found out that we were having our little guy. Fun times.

Congrats Thomas family on a precious baby ______!

;)

Day 13

2011-09-26T21:22:00.000-06:00

Mondays around here are kind of like an extension of the weekend. We don't typically have anything scheduled, so we linger in our pj's for a good part of the morning.

Did I also mention that our weekends start around noon on Friday? Yeah. We don't have anything scheduled after noon on Fridays either.

It's a good life.
Only I need someone over the age of 6 to enjoy it with.

We were able to skype with Josh again today. It's great for the kids to be able to see and interact with him. I love being able to talk with him, too, though it seems neither of us have much of interest to share.
He mentioned today that his days are almost exactly alike, so he warned me that his end of the conversation is probably going to be a little dry.

Turns out I have the same problem. Most of my days revolve around three meals and lots of potty breaks.

And some of this, of course--

Excitement around here includes Derek peeing his pants in the TJ Maxx.

(I just threw his undies away and made him go commando, because I wasn't finished shopping yet. The replacement cost for the underwear will be taken out of his college fund. This is the real world. There are no accidents.)

Oh, and I bought something new that needed to be hung on the wall and I did it all by myself! I used a drill for the first time. No one was harmed.
Also, I believe I did not disturb the structural integrity of the house.
Win-Win!

I didn't even forget to take out the garbage on trash day! I'm totally on a roll.

Back to our conversations...
There's also a lot Josh can't talk about over the internet, and quite a bit that he can't tell me, ever.
(This takes some getting used to! As wives we want to know everything, even though it has nothing to do with us. It makes me think it must be something really juicy if he can't tell.)

Usually we chat for about 20 minutes, with the internet dropping the call about every 5 minutes. A little frustrating at times, but we really are just grateful that we can chat-- quirks and all.

I've been celebrating from a distance with a lot of friends who are having their reunions this week. Once our guys got established over in Afghanistan, the T-Bolts were able to return to Idaho. It is wonderful to see the families back together, but it's also been a little emotional to watch the redeployment process from a distance over Facebook.

I see the disappointment when the jets get delayed, which always, always happens.
One friend, after finding out her husband was not going to return that day, posted that she was going to bed alone for night 205.

When I try to think about what I will be feeling when we're approaching Day 200, I do feel a little teary.

(The 180 days I allude to is not really very accurate, since that doesn't include travel time. 200 is probably a lot closer to the mark.)

So I pulled out the calendar and started writing in all the things I have planned for the next long while. October is filling up with a visit from my good friend Laura and her 3 kiddos in the first week. Then I'll be making a little trek up to DC to reunite with some of my college roommates in the middle of the month. Finally at the end of October, another good friend, Jen, will be in town for a week.

Sometime in mid-November I will head up to Michigan to spend the holiday season with our family. There will be plenty of picking on Pat the Bunny, having fun with cousins, and live-in babysitters.
Those weeks will be sure to fly by!

After that, well, we'll take it as it comes.

And I have a feeling it might look something like this--

And that's just fine.
Like I said, it's a good life!

Day 11

2011-09-24T21:58:00.000-06:00

Another weekend.

Someone asked me yesterday what my plans were. I had to think for a minute before coming up with Alex's Saturday morning dance class.
That was it.
I almost included the DVR, Words with Friends, and eating from boredom on the list, but I was afraid that might come across as a tad pathetic.

But it isn't turning out so bad, after all.

When I woke up this morning, the first thought that went through my mind was My husband is my hero.

You might assume that I was picturing him climbing into his jet for a mission over the mountains of Afghanistan, or considering that he, along with the rest of the men and women in the squadron, will work 7 days a week for the next 6 months without complaint.
(Bad news, the Air Force does not pay overtime.)
Many of the guys are giving up regular home-cooked meals in exchange for an endless supply of cafeteria food.

(Of course, since cafeteria food is far better than the stuff I serve around here, this is actually an improvement for my husband's palate.)

But no, those were not the things I was thinking of when I awoke.

I was thinking about how, before he left, Josh taught Alex to navigate the DVR menu to turn on a kids' program by herself. He also taught her to remind her brother to go potty before starting the show, and perhaps most sweetly, to slip into momma's room and turn on the bathroom fan for background noise and silently shut her door.

Thanks to Josh, I can claim Saturday mornings as my day to sleep in. My husband knows how to love me well.

And for that, my hero, I salute you!

****************

Later this afternoon, I commemorated the fifth fortnight since last mopping my kitchen floor by actually mopping my kitchen floor.
Felt good.
I might have to increase the frequency of that task. I was amazed at how many things I thought were flaws in the tiling that were...not.

Then I caught up with our good friends who've been out of town for a long time over yummy pizza with a side of whiny children.
Can't win 'em all.

Josh and I missed each other today on the computer, so hopefully we'll have a chance to talk tomorrow.

In my head I know that his schedule is upredictable and his internet access is even more unpredictable. But when I don't hear from him by what I feel is a reasonable time, there is a small part of me that entertains the thought that something bad has happened. I'll check the news, pretending to myself that I was going to do that anyway.
It's the same concern that makes my stomach drop a little when I hear a car door close in front of the house, or when the UPS man rings the doorbell.

I wish the military method of delivering bad news was something other than a knock on the door. It takes all the fun out of package delivery.

But most of the time those thoughts are hidden far away, and I probably wont realize that I've been carrying them around with me until he's home and I breathe a big sigh of relief.

I'll let you know in March.

***************************

This post was brought to you in part by Children Learning The Difference Between "Mom, You're Number 1 In My Book!" vs "Mom, You Can Take These Pancakes And Shove It."

(She was so little! I want my baby back!)

Day 9

2011-09-22T21:41:00.001-06:00

Day 9 is almost gone, so I'm going to post quickly and get into bed.

This morning got off to a great start when we were able to Skype with Daddy first thing after getting out of bed.

This was the first time we've been able to connect since he's been in country, so it was a bit of a relief just to know that we can get a good enough internet connection to make it happen. He has to Skype from work for now, because the other place with internet is too slow. There's not much for privacy as other guys are in and out of the room, but I'll take it!

(And no, Derek didn't sleep in his Cubbies vest, he had to try it on for Daddy.)

Josh, if the whole fighter-pilot thing isn't working out anymore, you'd look really hot behind the drive-thru window!

But you probably couldn't wear your holster anymore.

Then Derek had preschool, Alex had college, and this evening I had a spouses' coffee.

Remember? No coffee. Light dinner, chatting, and squadron business.
My friend shared her sitter with me, and it was a nice break from being with the littles 24-7.

I actually dried my hair today, so I thought that was deserving of a photo.
(You know, like with a hair dryer and not just the 97% humidity air.)

My apologies for the weird smirk. It's hard to smile naturally when you're taking your own picture in the mirror.
And I think I've figured out why none of the pics I take in the mirror are very clear.

Good news-- a little Windex should solve the problem.

Sleepy mama, short post.
Happy Thursday!

Day 8

2011-09-21T21:21:00.000-06:00

Some of my favorite moments as a parent come when I overhear conversations between my kids.

Now, I'm not talking about the ones where my oldest tells her brother that if he doesn't do it her way, then she'll never play with him again. Those I don't count among my favorite moments.
Nor the copious amounts of conversations that include the terms booty, poop, and eyeball.

Yes, eyeball.
I can't say why exactly, but that is akin to a potty word with its level of hilarity around here.

But sometimes there are funny ones, and sometimes there are sweet ones.

The other day we were driving in the car, and Derek was talking about something that we used to do.
But he pronounced it "loosed to" instead of used to.

This was more than my Type A eldest could handle without correction, so she very kindly said to him, "No Derek, it's not luh-luh-loosed to, it's nuh-nuh-noosed to!"

Talk about the blind leading the blind.

Tonight after Awanas I heard this particularly sweet one...

Derek: Awex, did you know God loves us all the time? Even when we do somefing weally bad? Even he loves us then.
Alex: Yep. And Jesus loves us so much that he died on the cross for us so we can go to heaven! Do you want to go to heaven? All you have to do it believe in him.
Derek: I do!

This is something we talk about with our kids all the time, because there is nothing more important to Josh and me than that they understand their purpose in this world.

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

To hear them talking about God to each other with their simple faith touches my heart.
And I am so, so grateful for the Awanas volunteers who give up their Wednesday evenings for 9 months of the year to invest in my kids in such a invaluable way.

Derek could not stop talking tonight about how he had received his very own Cubbies bag.
I believe it might qualify as the funnest day ever. (Which we all know doesn't really mean much.)

So I'm going to post this picture of me and my little man after Cubbies, but only after the following disclaimer--

1) The camera adds ten pounds.
2) The humidity is, prepare yourselves, 97%. That's ninety-seven. As in, almost 100%.
3) I had just finished eating a free steak dinner at the Outback, and if I wasn't greasy to start with, the Bloomin' Onion didn't help.
4) My family's hair genes are nothing to get excited about. (holla, mom and dad)
5) Do you know how fierce hippos are? I was about to be consumed.

Now we can go ahead and see it...

Thing 2 melts my heart with his smooshy little face.

And even more when he comes out of the bathroom with his shirt tucked into his undies.

I'd show you some shots of Thing 1, but she wasn't in the mood to be photographed.

We all have our days.

It's now 11:15pm and I'm trying to stay awake a little longer in hopes that I can catch Josh to skype as his day begins.
The time difference is 8 and a half hours.
Now, I know that I'm no mathematical genius, nor is science my specialty. But how does that half hour increment occur?
Somebody 'splain it to me, I am simple minded.

My mom probably sent me to preschool on a bus or something.

Day 7

2011-09-20T20:11:00.000-06:00

Also known as Taco Tuesday.

Today was a preschool day for the little man. This calls for all sorts of excitement, pomp, and circumstance.
Only it was quite rainy, so it was a bit of a dreary circumstance.

Alex and I found our usual corner to work in.

Excuse me for just a moment, while I address what is certain to be a concern of Pat the Bunny's.

(Pat the Bunny is my mother in law for those of you who are new around these parts.)

PtB, I do have regulation first grade lined paper for her. I forgot it at home, so we were making due with regular notebook paper. Cease and desist with having your heart attack.

(I have to throw her a bone every once in a while. She's pretty sure that Alex is going to be permanently damaged by this homeschooling adventure. Plus, if you remember her affinity for salt, it probably wouldn't take much more than a notebook paper miscue to actually give her a heart attack.)

Hi PtB! Are you ready for my constant abuse yet? Just wait till we make it up to Michigan!

Speaking of homeschooling, so far things are going well. I guess I don't really have anything to compare it to, but at least Alex doesn't complain about wanting to be at school, or give me a hard time when it's time to work. She definitely prefers hands-on activities and crafts, so I try to incorporate them as often as possible. We play sight-word B-I-N-G-O, and make things based on the read-aloud we're reading through.
Today we finished Gooney Bird Greene, by Lois Lowry. It was a cute story if you have kids in the 6-9 range.

So far, I am really glad that we decided to homeschool this year. The flexibility has been great. If I had to get her in bed at 7 each night like last year, I would have to say no to a lot more outings and fun events. And we aren't starting our days with "hurry up" arguments, and trying to squeeze in just a little bit of fun in the hour between homework and dinner/bath/bedtime.
So far, no regrets.

She finished her first reader today. She's read a story out of it for each school day, and it was a big deal to her to have finished such a long book.

Oh, and when we were leaving the house and I told her to get her black shoes on, I assumed we were on the same page. I didn't notice till we were already at the college, that we were definitely not on the same page.

Not cool.

If you were wondering how I'm doing without my tiny infant baby toddler being right beside me, well, I am faring okay.
This is the view from the window by our table in the college cafeteria.

Do you see that little glimpse of blue through the trees?

Here let me help--

There he is!

If ~~he needs~~ I need a hug I can run really fast to get to him.

We had lunch at a friend's house after school and then after ~~naps~~ "quiet" time we hit up Taco Tuesday.
(The quiet is in quotation marks for a reason. It's been lacking its primary quality of quietness lately.So I suppose I should just start calling it time.)

Here is our family picture. See me, Josh? I'm there on the right!

And here is the salsa. Mmmmmmmm.

I ordered 4 chicken soft tacos. 1.5 for me, 1.5 for Alex, 1 for Derek, and all the chips & salsa you can eat. Our total was $4 something.
Love me some Taco Tuesday.

I haven't heard from Josh in two days, as he's been flying from Spain to somewhere else, and then on to Afghanistan.
(gesundheit!)

Tomorrow morning at 5am will mark one week from when we watched him fly off.
I think I shall commemorate the anniversary by continuing to sleep for another three hours.
Actually, I'm certain that's how I'll commemorate it.

But there is definitely a feeling that something is missing around here. Alex is still mopey from time to time, and Derek asked me if Daddy was coming home today.

Overall, though, I'd say this week has really been as good as I could have hoped for transition-wise.
I thank all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers!

Day 6

2011-09-19T19:28:00.000-06:00

Today was a stay-in-jammies, lounge around kind of day. Other than getting school done for Alex, we didn't have anything on our agenda.

I love days like this, but around 5pm it starts to backfire.
Everyone gets a little stir-crazy, the whining intensifies, and the need to get out becomes obvious.

Since I had a feeling that would be the case, I'd made plans to walk to the park with friends in the evening and burn off some energy.

But sometimes the effort of getting out of the house becomes more work than it's worth.

We all needed to get dressed (remember? Jammies!), but since I still haven't gone through the kids' closets, I found myself pulling things out of drawers left and right and having an especially hard time finding pants for Derek.
(I know I have some bigger sizes stored away-- I should probably make that a priority this week.)
I finally got him in some clothes and realize that last years' tennis shoes were cramping his toes. So we changed the shoes and were finally ready to walk out the door.

But first I had to call my friend to let her know we were ready.

I couldn't find the phone.

No problem, I just hit the "page" button to find it.
Well as it would happen, the children were both standing near the headset when the phone started beeping.
And it is also true that my children have a healthy fear of beeping noises-- they assume any beeping is a smoke detector indicating they are about to be consumed with fire.

So the phone beeped right near them and they freaked out. So much so that Derek peed in the pants it just took me 15 minutes to find.

So we started over again. And finally made it outside, albeit in pants that were much too short.

Apparently he hadn't gotten it all out in his pants.

Can I just say this might be my favorite part about having a boy? Much less complicated.
And he has the cutest tushie as well.

I know Josh wants pictures of me, but since I hadn't showered or taken any other measures to make myself presentable-- this is the best I can do.

See me on the left? I'm waving.

And Derek wanted to tell Daddy all his Cubbies verses. So, you're welcome for that Josh. ;)
He got a little camera shy and needed some help...

Sorry Day 6 post is a little lame, but just think, if I hadn't scared my kid so much that he wet himself, I wouldn't have had anything to post about.

See? Glass half full!

Day 5

2011-09-18T17:53:00.000-06:00

Today Alex and I were doing some school.

Yes, school on a Sunday.

Because let's face it, there is not much of a distinction in our world right now between weekday and weekend.
A strange phenomenon occurs when Josh is away in which I kind of dread the weekend. Without the weekday routine, the hours are sometimes very long.
Folks are busy with family stuff, and my facebook friends take forever to play their turn in Words with Friends.

Don't they know I'm just sitting there, clicking to see who's played?
The nerve of them!

Enter, school.
Today Alex's creative writing assignment was to recreate the old nursery rhyme One, Two, Buckle my Shoe. She was to leave the numbers in place and make up a new rhyme for each line.
She loves doing this kind of stuff, so she was all about it.

Here's what we ended up with:

Fun, cute, yadda yadda.
I really had to do some quick talking to get her to let go of her first idea for the "five, six" line.

She wanted Five, Six, have some dicks.
Or maybe she was envisioning dix?

Either way, I have to admit that my adult-conversation-deprived self laughed a little.

Then, after lunch, I had the opportunity to act like an adolescent again.
While my little monkeys were eating, they were having a conversation about what Derek's toy monkey had done. They made up a story about how naughty it was being, and made some plans to punish said monkey after lunch.
When they were finished eating, Alex ran off to do something in her room.

Derek, with a pouty face and hands on his hips, yelled across the house: "Awex! I thought we were going to spank my monkey!"

Hee hee.
Chortle.
Snicker.

If you don't get why that's funny, then you are a better person than I am.
And I applaud you.

And now I'm off to do about a thousand sit ups or something to counteract the fact that friends have been giving me thoughtful care packages.

Which have contained these:

Day 4

2011-09-17T19:58:00.000-06:00

I got an e-mail from Josh around 3:30pm today asking where his Day 4 post was.

Dude. At 3:30, we're still making Day 4 happen.

In his defense, he is dealing with a time change.
He is still en route to his final destination, which starts with an A and sounds like a sneeze.
His jet broke and he had to spend an extra couple days here:

Life's tough, eh?

I believe it's up and running again, so he'll soon be sending pictures from a sandier location.

Back to Day 4.
When I looked out the window this morning, I noticed our mailbox was laying on the ground.

Great.

Driving Alex to dance class, I saw that mine was not the only one.
It would appear that there have been punks in the 'hood.

Don't worry, I took some tools out there and showed them punks that they can't keep me from getting my junk mail and bills.

Hmmm.

Maybe I should have left it on the ground...

****************

Early this morning, the last of the Chiefs flew out. My friend Amy's husband was among them. So we made plans to stay busy to keep her mind off it and to make the day special for her kiddos.

We started with Happy Meals for lunch, in which the kids got to pick whatever they wanted to drink. Do we live on edge or what?
Derek wanted orange soda. Alex has a more refined palate, and requested sweet tea.

Before I had kids, I never pictured myself as being the mom who would let her 4 and 6 year olds stuff their faces full of french fries and wash them down with sugary caffeinated drinks.

Old me was wrong.
There is a time for everything, is there not?

(And in my book, it's always time for french fries.)

After lunch we headed to the "train park" again for another ride with our friends.

(Derek's putting the moves on Emily in the backseat.)

And another round of this.

Sorry, Dads. The kids love you and miss you, but when there are happy meals, trains, and cotton candy involved, missing you gets pushed to the background.
And that's kind of the point.

Before:

And after. Here is 'ol Bluebeard himself.

Arrrgh, Matey.

*******************

So have you ever been picking up after your kids and had your hands so full that you just stuck your son's fireman's hat on your head so you could carry a few more things?

Me either.
Just asking.

But this was taken to please my husband who left this comment on my last post--

More pictures of you!

Josh

Until the kids figure out how to take pictures, you might be stuck with me in a mirror with headgear.

Holla.

Day 3

2011-09-16T13:37:00.001-06:00

So my friend, also named Erin, has been labeling all of her blog posts by the number of days that her husband has been in Iraq. (She's on Day 163-- getting close!)

I'm totally stealing her idea and using the day count as my titles while Josh is gone.
Thinking up titles for posts is often the hardest part of blogging for me, so I'll consider this something to write in the "pros" column for deployment.

As you might guess, that column is very short.

It consists primarily of:
-Low expectations for mealtimes
-Less laundry
-Cleaner bathrooms
And now:
- Blog Post Titles

I'm trying to be a "glass half-full" kind of girl, can you tell??

Josh wants lots of posts and pictures while he's away, so I'm going to do my best. That means you are in for a plethora of nothingness, my friends.

A plethora.

I was hoping to wallow in self-pity for a few days after he left, but my schedule just wouldn't allow it. On Wednesday night the kids had Awanas so I met some girlfriends for dinner at a Mexican place we frequent.
I could drink their salsa right from the jar. It's the best part of the meal, so I try to order just one a-la-carte enchilada to save room for more salsa.
I'm sure the waiter hates me.

But seriously, you should see the salsa-to-chip ratio I'm able to attain. You can't even tell there's a chip under there.

Plus they have 99-cent Taco Tuesday. I think I'm going to take the kids every Tuesday. We can have dinner for three bucks.
Who's with me??

Yesterday Derek had preschool & Alex had college so again I didn't have time for wallowing.

(Alex now tells people that she goes to college, since we do some of her homeschooling there while D's on the bus.)

In the evening, they were showing a free movie on base so I took the kids.

I assumed it was at the theater, but when I arrived to an empty parking lot I figured out I was wrong.
We found the right location-- in the ballroom of the club. They had mats up front for the kids.

It got a little crazy toward the end, as some of the kids were losing interest in the movie and kept standing up in front of the projector. Then other kids realized that the could make hand shadows on the screen. Then other kids began to run around the room like hooligans.

Have you ever felt the desire to spank other peoples' children?

No?
Oh.
Me neither...I was just asking.

Alex has been having a rough time going to sleep at night. We haven't had a tear-free night yet. The good news is that she's talking a lot about how she feels during the day, and I think it's starting to get a little easier for her.

Derek, on the other hand, still thinks every day is the funnest day ever. And if nothing exciting is happening, he's pretty sure tomorrow will be the funnest day ever.

So yesterday the high was 91 degrees, and today's high is in the 60's! It's not supposed to stay that way, but it was a good reminder that I should probably go through the kids' closets and see what we have for fall clothing.
Here are Thing 1 and Thing 2 ready to leave for my women's Bible study this morning.

I told them to act like they liked each other and this is what I get.

Then they couldn't stop giggling.

Why yes, astute reader, those would be the same shorts Derek was wearing yesterday. If that bothers you, you don't even want to know how long I go in between washing my jeans.

(I've been overusing italics in this post but I just don't want to stop.)

And don't ask about the rest of his outfit. I have no defense, but I think he's pretty much adorable in everything he wears.

Tiny infant baby toddlers are just like that, you know.

Day 1

2011-09-14T10:21:00.000-06:00

It's official.
And it officially stinks.

Josh flew out this morning.

I'm hoping that homeschooling, traveling, and the holidays will make the time fly until we get him back.

Monday night the kids helped Josh make the final preparations.

I'm not sure why the guys all feel it necessary to shave their heads and grow a mustache when they deploy.

Or in my husband's case, a pedostache.
(Also known as Chester)

But in any case, we have an agreement that hair on the head will be regrown and hair on the upper lip removed prior to our reunion.

So. Last night.
Josh had to take a sleeping pill and be in bed in the early evening to be ready for a 3am showtime.

This of course meant that I would be putting the kids to bed on my own.
No problem, I do it all the time.

Plus, if I were rusty at all, it would be a good time to get into a rhythm.
Unless they figure out how to put themselves to bed in the very near future, I'm kind of stuck with it for the next 180-ish nights.

But it turned out to be far more difficult than I could have imagined.
Derek went down easily like he always does.

But my poor baby girl. She laid in bed and just sobbed. She didn't want her daddy to leave and there wasn't a thing I could do for her.
I held her and let her cry.
Cried with her.

It was just one of those moments as a parent when you just don't know the right thing to do or say.

She wanted nothing to do with the reasons and justifications of why he must go.
And that's okay. At age six you can afford to be a little selfish from time to time.

The storm eventually passed and I know that we will get into a routine and she will be fine in the months to come. It was just a rough moment, and I'm glad for his sake that Josh was asleep.

This morning we all dragged out of bed and were out the door by 0250.
Ouch.
Mama no like.

When we got to the squadron we prayed together in the back of the van and had our more extended goodbyes.

Then Josh went in to brief for the flight.
We got one last hug as he was stepping to the jet.

Mmmm. I think I've made it clear that my man in a flight suit just does something for me.
But add a G-suit and harness, and, well...
I'm thinking I need to channel that energy elsewhere for the next 6 months.
;)
Quick, Josh! Grow the mustache! The feelings will dissipate.

Then the families jumped on a crew bus and headed to the end of the runway to watch the jets take off.

Here is Josh's jet in the chalks.

There he goes! (That's him in the front seat.)

And here's a poor quality video of his takeoff, which resembles more of a ball of light going up into the sky.

It was around 6am when we got home, so we all headed back to bed for a few more hours of sleep.
I plan to indulge in a day or two of moping before moving on.

He has shoes in the shoe bin and clothes in the laundry. Once I clean his sink, it will be clean for a long time. Reminders everywhere that part of our family is missing.
But I am so thankful for the internet and the ability to communicate in a way that was unheard of in years past. I'm not sure exactly when we'll hear from him, but once he gets settled we should be able to Skype.

I joked before he left that the day he flew out I would indulge in a whole container of Oreo cookies-- eating just the "stuff", because that's the best part.
So as he was stepping to the jet, my thoughtful husband handed me this baggie.

Love him! He did all the work :)

Thank you all for your kind words and well wishes on my last post, and leading up to this deployment! It really means a lot to have your support and prayers. Thanks for walking this road alongside me.

If anyone is interested in sending Josh a note in the mail, just let me know at eschore@hotmail.com and I will get you his deployed address.

Also, I will do my best to bring back the happy because this place has been crazy depressing as of late. ;)

Remembering

2011-09-11T20:43:00.002-06:00

This weekend has held many mixed emotions for us.
We have had a lot of sweet moments making a few more memories together as a family.

It was Josh's last Saturday as ballet dad, and he had a special treat for his princess.
Alex was sooooooooo excited about her new leotard.

I love the way she's looking at him in this picture.

They went out to breakfast before her dance class; Saturday mornings with Daddy has become a special time for both of them.

Later we went to a park in town that has a miniature train.
AND cotton candy.

Can you guess what color it was? ;)

Josh has been spoiling those two like crazy, but I guess I can't blame him.

Today we went to another park, and back to the bowling alley as well. We rounded out the weekend with one final swim in the neighborhood pool, as it closes for the season tonight.

Like the rest of the nation, we have also been reflecting on the tenth anniversary of September 11th.

It is easy to forget just how brutal and evil the attack on our country was.
Hearing some of the firsthand accounts of those who survived, and the recorded calls of those who did not is heart wrenching. It's hard to hear the sounds of voices filled with fear, and see the terrible images of people choosing to plunge to their death because the alternative was even worse.

But it is good to remember. Necessary, even.
Because the evil that was present on that day is still out there.
I hope we don't forget that there were people who danced in the street while watching coverage of the towers falling. That there are those who would do worse to us if they could.

The timing of this anniversary being just days before Josh leaves for war is somewhat helpful for me. I am reminded that what he does is necessary, and it is worth the personal sacrifice.

Josh has been talking to Alex about September 11th and about why he needs to go away to fight the bad guys. She has been thinking about it more than we realized.
Yesterday we went to the squadron to say goodbye to some of the guys who were departing (they are leaving in waves.) Josh cleaned out his office a little and the kids like to draw on his dry erase board when they go to his office.
This is what Alex drew.

Then she drew in a police car and talked about how the Police and Firemen ran in when everyone else was trying to get out. Daddy made sure she knew that they were heroes.

And I try to make sure she knows that her daddy is a hero as well.

We grabbed a few of Josh's uniforms and had an impromptu photo shoot this morning.

I love my little family!

Thursday.

2011-09-08T19:43:00.000-06:00

So we went with Thai last night.

I know you were up all night wondering what we decided on for date night, right?

To be honest, date night was kind of a bust.
At this point there is no use pretending that we have anything to talk about other than Josh leaving. It was our last Wednesday date night for a long, long time.

And my hot date got too much spice in his pad thai and became a sweaty and drippy date.

But he was still good-looking.

The kids had fun at their first night of Awanas. Derek loved graduating from Puggles to Cubbies.

Mostly because now he is in Emily's class and those two have decided that they are going to get married.

Here they are on a fancy date.

The only problem is that Emily has celiac disease and can't eat any wheat.
Derek can't eat eggs, milk, or peanuts.

So basically if they got married they would have to stick with just slabs of meat for dinner.
I guess they have a few years to work out the details.

Today was little man's first day of school! He loved the bus and did not hesitate to jump right on.

We meet the bus at the community college, so Alex and I wandered a bit until we found a corner spot in the cafeteria to have some school time. His class is only an hour and a half long, so it's not really worth it to leave and come back, and I'm sure Alex appreciates the change of scenery.
We were able to get a lot done without all the interruptions we have at home.

Namely Derek.

Here's the little troublemaker with one of his teachers.

He had a great time, and it probably would have been the "funnest day ever" if I hadn't rushed him right off to get his 4-year immunizations.

Oh well, can't win 'em all.

Bowl-a-rama

2011-09-07T14:23:00.000-06:00

Well we had a fun filled long weekend here at the ranch-style house, and I hope you did as well!

There was lots of game-playing, couch snuggling, dinner & game night with friends, movie watching, gluttony and debauchery.

Minus the debauchery.

We took an outing to the bowling alley, which is a favorite activity for the shorter members of our family.
Here we are on the way.

Someone likes to be difficult. She shall remain nameless.

I like this guy. I'm gonna miss him.

Look, I was there too! I would have smiled but I'm not good at multitasking.

We went to the alley on base, so I will take you on the scenic tour since I had my camera out and evidently was a little bored.

This is the new Spitfire model they put up in front of the club.

The children have to point it out every time we drive past it.

Which is often.
And that's not annoying at all.

Good news! Looks like they are forming a group just for me!

But if I started going to that group, then I wouldn't need to whine and moan to you all.
So I think I'll pass.
I'm always thinking of you.

This is the point in our drive where Derek will say: "Wook, it's Daddy's Stwike Egow!" (Translation: Strike Eagle.)

But nothing gets bigger cheers than this:

We were eating lunch at the bowling alley as well, which almost blew the top off of their fun meter.

These comments were made:
We get our own drink?
And our own food?

So I guess that they've noticed that I usually make them share a meal and a cup.

Hello? It's cheaper that way.

I guess we were splurging this weekend.
We like to live large every once in a while.

Then we laced up our stylish shoes and hit the lanes.

Fun fact: You do not have to be good at bowling to have a good time.

Proof:

As we were leaving, Derek said it was the funnest day ever.
Not to be confused with the previous night when we went for ice cream at Cold Stone and he proclaimed that to be the funnest day ever.

(Despite the fact that he can't eat ice cream and all he got was some Oreos we brought from home.)

As it turns out, the day after we went bowling we let him have a piece of gum in the afternoon and he then declared that to be the funnest day ever.

What can I say? The boy is easy to please.

Tonight the kids have Awanas, which means date night for me and my main squeeze!

I'm thinking sushi...
Or Mexican...
Or skipping dinner and going right for dessert...

I love to contemplate the finer things in life.

Whining, weekend, and wee-school.

2011-09-01T13:30:00.000-06:00

Hi.

I felt like I should blog, but I'm not feeling particularly witty today.

We are getting closer to sending Josh off. I know I've been saying this for a while. The date that we once thought was a good guess was about a week earlier than the date we currently have.
Which I cannot share on the interworld.

This is probably why I've lost my funny. Don't worry, I will get it back. It's just that the time right before he leaves is the hardest part. Once it gets started, I do much better.

Well, a little better.

Most days.

When my children are well behaved and nothing breaks down or falls apart.

(Including me.)

The piles of "stuff" in my bedroom have moved into packing boxes, and we'll probably ship them after the long weekend. This is actually helpful, as I no longer have to trip over his gun holster or shower rod as I get in and out of bed.

(Don't ask me about the shower rod-- he has some idea of using it to divide his ~~cell~~ room to get some privacy. I've seen pictures of the rooms. I used to think that nothing could be smaller than my freshman year dorm room.

I was mistaken.)

(Also, don't ask me about the gun holster. I'm counting on him doing his war-fighting from the sky.)

Josh has a four-day weekend starting tonight, which is great, but there is definitely a shadow looming. There is a lot of pressure to enjoy every moment we have have left, and that kind of sucks the fun out of it.

I don't work well under pressure.
Then again, I also don't like to get work done in advance.

This means I am really not fit to do any kind of work.
That's okay by me. I've got a sugar-daddy.

The squadron that the Chiefs will be relieving is our old squadron from Idaho. So lots of my Facebook friends are getting excited about having their husbands back. It's kind of bittersweet for me. I am happy for them, because 6 months is just a darn long time to be away from someone you love. But on the other hand, mine has to get over there before theirs can come home.

Let's move on, shall we?

The weather has been so nice the past couple of days. It's starting to cool off at night which makes for very pleasant evenings and mornings.
Today we played out at the park with friends for several hours. Then on the way home I pulled into a church that was having a blood drive. It's been a while since I last donated, and it wasn't busy.
The kids found it all to be very interesting, but I'm pretty sure watching the proceedings has scared them off from ever wanting to donate blood.

Have you ever really looked at the size of the needle? It's the girth of a juice box straw.
I think they might get more volunteers if they let you choose your own size. Of course, that means you might have to extend your stay...

Our fall activities are starting up next week. Even though we'll be headed to Michigan for an extended visit this winter, I wanted to try to give the kids some kind of routine in the meantime and after we return home. So added to ballet/tap for Alex will be Awanas for both kids, and a preschool program for Derek.
His is only two mornings a week, and it's very short.

Mama doesn't like to be away from her tiny infant baby toddler, you know.

But this is a perfect fit, because it's such a short time that they don't serve snacks. With his food allergies, snack time has long frightened me about sending him off to school.

And I know this is going to be confusing, so I'm going to try to explain it real slow-like:

His school is on a bus.

He is not driving to school on a bus.

I am driving him to a bus, on which he will have school.

No, the bus will not drive around while he is schooling.

Yes, the bus has a potty.

No, the bus does not have any seats in it.

It is a "mobile classroom" that meets at different locations throughout the town. It parks at the community college, and other public schools in town.

I know it sounds strange, but it actually has a good reputation for being a quality program. Derek's teacher taught public school kindergarten last year, so she's very knowledgeable about the things that will help prepare them for that.

Oh, and did I mention that it's free?
Even better.

What else??
Oh, I do have a little amusing story to share that involves my daughter figuring out how babies make their exit from the uterus. But this one needs its own post, and probably a PG-13 rating for those of you out there who get uncomfortable around anatomy terms. So we'll save that for a post coming soon.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Diary of a Hurricane Survivor

2011-08-28T10:31:00.000-06:00

Thursday, 25 August, 1130--

I drop Josh off at work. He is flying out today, along with all of the jets on the base, to safety in Louisiana. I drive him so that we can keep his car safe in the garage.
Our first purchase as a married couple, the 2002 Toyota Corolla, must be protected from the hurricane.

Friday, 25 August, 1730-- (That would be 5:30pm for those who don't know and don't like to do simple math.)

I meet two other victims of Operation Abandon Family at the nearby Burger King. We know we'll be stuck inside tomorrow, so we're getting out while we can.
The food at this Burger King is singularly terrible, but it's right around the corner and the large play area is always empty.

Until we get there.

Friday, 25 August, 2000--

We've taken over the Burger King for two and a half hours now, and it's beginning to rain. Our children are happy and greasy.
I take Thing 1 and Thing 2 back home and give them washcloth baths.
Not because we don't have water and power, but because I am lazy.

It is already past bedtime, but I am Mother of the Year, and I let the kids finish watching Toy Story which we started earlier today. I put them down to bed, it is 9pm.

They are sleeping in my bedroom, because the hurricane is supposed to come in the night. Our bedroom does not have exterior windows; theirs do. Derek is on the floor and Alex is on Josh's side of the bed.

Friday, 25 August, 2130--

They are still up talking. I put on my grouchy face and threaten their very existence if they do not go immediately to sleep.

It works.

Saturday, 26 August, 0100--

I crawl into bed next to Alex.

I know, I know. I should have gone to bed before 1am, but I was reading a good book.

I try to snuggle up next to my little girl, but she is all knees and talons.
I roll over and fall asleep.

Saturday, 26 August, 0400--

Derek is making noises. He's calling for me.
He has lost his blanket and his aminals. I retrieve both and get back in bed.

Saturday, 26 August, 0600--

Derek is making noises. He's calling for me.
He has to go to the bathroom.

I take him across the house so that we don't wake Alex.
The wind is picking up; it's still raining.
Back to bed.

Saturday, 26 August, 0740--

Derek is making noises.
I am grouchy.
I am tired.
He should be tired; he stayed up late.

I see that windows do not appear to be in danger. I make him carry his blanket and aminals into his room.
I throw his mattress back onto his bed and point.
He gets my message.

I go back to bed.

Saturday, August 26, 0800--

Alex gets up.
Derek gets up.
I don't want to get up.

I put on a show and throw them some dry cereal. Tell them to wake me at their own risk.

Saturday, August 26, 0806--

The power has gone out.
I resign myself to the night being officially over.
I berate myself for not going to bed earlier.
I think about how nice some coffee would be; if we had power.

I remember that the hot water heater needs electricity to produce hot water, so I jump quickly into the shower. I can handle any emergency, as long as I am clean.

Saturday, August 26, 1200--

The hours are creeping by. It is very windy and very rainy. I refuse to open the fridge or freezer in hopes of not losing all the food inside.
We are having sunbutter sandwiches for lunch.
Thank goodness I have Oreos on hand.

Saturday, August 26, 1500--

This is the slowest moving storm. When shall it end? My little prepaid cell phone that can't text or make a call without dropping it a few times first is not working.

This is not shocking news.

But now I am cut off from civilzation.
Is anyone out there?

Saturday, August 26, 1600--

The pantry is unappetizing. I consider opening the fridge, but resist.

I consider cannibalism, but feel that might be an overreaction. Besides, I have no way to cook.

My sanity is saved as the children watch 3/4 of a movie on the portable DVD player before the battery loses its charge.

Saturday, August 26, 1700--

The winds are abating, the rain is letting up.
My phone is still not working.
We are on hour 9 of no power.
The overcast sky makes the house start getting dark earlier than normal.
I set out the candles and flashlights

Lo, is that a knock on my door?

It is! It is a knock on my door!

It is Amy and all associated children.
They have gone crazy in their house down the street and have braved the 0.1 mile drive to my home.

We hug and cry.
(Okay, not really.)

But Amy has a smart phone!
Of course she does.
Who doesn't?

She has news and weather and information.
Such as-- the roof of the mall collapsed.

No one was injured, so I feel it not too inappropriate to wonder if this means they might actually rebuild with stores at which people actually want to shop.

But no.
That might lead to progress.
And maybe eventually traffic lights that are timed so that you don't hit every red light on Berkeley Boulevard.

I think the city planners fear that will take away from the charm of this 'ol town, because I can't come up with any other reason they haven't already done this.

The kids play together. But they are getting grumpy, because it is nearing dinner time.

Amy has a rotisserie chicken in her slowly-warming fridge, so we grab the Oreos and head to her place. We drive around the neighborhood to see what kind of damage has been done. Downed branches, broken shutters, missing shingles. For the most part, nothing severe.

Saturday, August 26, 1655--

We are eating chicken in the dark while our husbands are watching Captain America in an air-conditioned movie theater in Louisiana.
But we are not bitter. If they were here, we'd have to share the chicken with them.

And the wine.

And then God said, LET THERE BE LIGHT.
And there was light.
And it was good.

We all do a happy dance! Air Conditioning! Lights! Internet! LIFE!

I got to the bathroom and turn on the light. I can now see that I have a huge red zit on the tip of my nose. But that's neither here nor there.

Saturday, August 26th 2030--

I am back home. The power is on, the kids are in bed. My cell gets service. I have 9 new messages. I snuggle up with my laptop and catch up with the latest news.
My husband should be back on Sunday night.
I go to bed, alone, at 11pm and sleep all night.

The End.

Signed,
Rudolph

A Couple Clips

2011-08-25T22:07:00.000-06:00

I was just uploading some video clips from the camera, and thought I would share a couple.

This first one is from Derek's birthday. It makes me laugh because he gets all excited about the present, but has no idea what it is.
(And because Alex sneezes and then wipes her nose with her arm.
We are quite the sanitary family.)

This (sideways) clip is the culmination of 6 weeks of memory work from Alex's homeschooling. She learned Psalms chapter one. I am impressed with the amount that they can remember at this age!

In case you have trouble making out the words, you can see it written here.

Today there was an almost-constant hum of jet engines flying overhead as the base evacuated all of it's F-15Es to a safer location. It's kind of a bummer to lose Josh for one of our few remaining weekends, but it goes along with the territory. Hopefully this storm wont cause too much damage to the east coast; I think we're pretty safe here as we are a decent distance from the coast.

The next thing you know, we'll be having an earthquake!

Oh wait.
That already happened ;)

This image has been circulating around social media-- it made me chuckle.

Wednesday Hodgepodge

2011-08-24T08:56:00.001-06:00

It's Wednesday Hodgepodge time! Join up here.

1. What is something that bothers you if it's not done perfectly?

Not many things bother me. I'm kind of a laid-back person. I would say that I have a high standard for services that cost a lot of money. Right now, we are having the exterior of our house in Idaho painted. Since it is a rather expensive endeavor, I will expect that the work be of good quality and hopefully last many years.

2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain.

I had to look up a definition. Because my brain is rather mushy and filled with the story of Squirrel Nutkin, which I do not wish on anyone.

The definition I found was:

noun; A power of perception seemingly independent of the five senses; keen intuition.

In the case of that definition, I will say yes.
I think it goes along well with the Biblical principle of discernment, which includes wisdom and good judgement.

Psalm 119:25

I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.

3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all?

Well this is a timely question.
We are currently in the midst of a painfully slow goodbye as we get ready to send Josh off for 6 months. Making all of the preparations is a constant reminder that the day is fast approaching.

Here he is making a video of himself reading the kids' favorite books, and singing their bedtime songs.

Sniffle. Sniffle.

So while I prefer a quick or not-at-all goodbye, sometimes the choice is not mine.

4. On a scale of 1-10, with ten being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What's your favorite 'spicy' dish?

I'm about a 7. I really do enjoy spicy foods, but I can't have it so spicy that it numbs my taste buds.
Because then what is the point in eating? It's not as if I eat because I'm hungry.
That would be silly.
I eat for pleasure.

Oh, and sushi without wasabi is not sushi at all.

5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles?

It's got to be the Quizno's Subs rats.

Do you remember them? They made no sense at all, but they always made me laugh. Who would think of having a really, really, really creepy looking rat as your spokes~~person~~ animal?

Kudos to you, Quizno's. It was certainly memorable.

They got a pepper bar!

6. Plane, train, boat or auto...your preferred method of travel?

I don't like any method of travel.
Air travel makes me nervous. You are totally at the mercy of the airline: overbooking, cancellations, being seated next to stinky people, etc.

I used to enjoy the occasional car trip.

Then I had children.

I'm thinking a relocation cruise is probably the way to go. That way you can dine your way to your next destination.

7. What is something you take for granted?

Two things popped to my mind.

1-- Our freedom to worship & access to the Bible. In other areas of the world, Christians risk their lives to meet together and read the word. My greatest challenge is to stop playing Words with Friends so that I make some time to read it.

2-- That my kids will be little for a long, long time.

I'm afraid they wont.
They are growing too fast.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Hurricane Irene is supposed to hit the NC coast this weekend.
Our heroes in green (aka my husband and others like him) will be hurrevac-ing. This is when they take their most valuable assets and get them to an inland location.

That is a nice way of saying:
Leave the wives and kids behind-- Get those jets to safety!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-08-21T14:18:00.000-06:00

We've been having a fun weekend, and I'm not ready for it to end.

Thanksgiving dinner on Friday was a success, despite my bringing Stovetop stuffing.
I didn't feel too badly about it until my friend Ashlei showed up with her homemade cornbread stuffing, which was totally delicious.
You know, Ashlei with the 2 year old boy and 3 month old twins.

Remember them?

Well they are even cuter now, and Caleb's sweet little dimple is still charming everyone.

She had to make a special trip to the store, with her children, to get the ingredients and then she spent all afternoon cooking.

I boiled some water and fluffed with a fork.

The bad news? I'm totally content in my role as an underachiever.
And of course, I ate Ashlei's stuffing and not mine, so it was a win-win for me.

Here we are squinting into the sun, bedecked in our Chiefs' green.

Most of the squadron was there. The dinner was held at "The Family Place" on base, which is a former wing commander home that was converted into a place to hold such events.
The back yard was a kids' paradise.

Which is good because there are well over 50 kids in the squadron, and more on the way.

There is one ~~crazy~~ ~~brave~~ no, I'm going to stick with crazy, lady who has 3 daughters ages 4 and under, and is expecting a 4th while the guys are deployed!
So when I start to feel sorry for myself, I just think of her.

(Really, she has a terrific attitude and is excited about the new addition despite being on her own.)

Drag got his holidays confused and thought we were celebrating both Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Here is just one room of tables where we all feasted.
There were several others as well.

We all had a good time, especially Derek who was the biggest mess I had ever seen him and was just so proud of that fact. He had discarded his shoes somewhere between the bounce house and the choo-choo and reveled in getting himself just as dirty as possible.
His sister, meanwhile, was hanging out in the kitchen sampling each and every dessert.

Ah, a girl after my own heart.

It will be nice to remind the kids of how they had Thanksgiving with Daddy when we are celebrating the real holiday without him.

In other news, here is Alex all ready for her first dance class of the new season.

She had a good time, and afterward Josh took her out for an impromptu date at the Chik-fil-A. She was too excited about telling me that she got both chocolate milk and an ice cream cone to remember much about dance class.

Then I enjoyed my Saturday afternoon away at the baby shower for my friend Katie, and after that we went to church.

Whew! It was like the opposite of hermitville around here, was it not?

Today we slept in, swam for a bit, and now Josh is napping while I'm blogging and the kids are having quiet time. Tonight we'll go to our small group Bible study and then our weekend will be over.

I think I might have to stay home for the rest of the week to make up for all that socializing.

This post was brought to you by the lazy man's way of eating watermelon.

Also known as my way of eating watermelon.

Things I am thinking about.

2011-08-18T08:02:00.000-06:00

1) Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Dinner and I am supposed to make enough stuffing to serve 30.

So...hypothetically speaking, how many boxes of Stovetop Stuffin' from your Microwave Oven would you buy?

(Do you remember that ditty from the commercial? Stovetop makes it easy, just push a little button, and you've got Stovetop stuffin' from you microwave oven.)

No?
Well that's embarrassing.

I kid. I jest.
I would never serve anyone Stovetop Stuffin' from your Microwave Oven.

I'll be using my stove top.

2) On Saturday I'm helping out with the appetizers for a friend's baby shower.
These people must not read here, else they would know not to ask for my help with such things.

3) Alex's dance class starts back up this weekend.
She looks so cute in dance attire that I'm willing to overlook the fact that it will interfere with my hermitting.

4) I wonder how old my kids will be when they no longer think it's funny when I lip sync and dance to loud music while they eat.
It's good entertainment-- kind of like dinner theater, but without the talent.

5) I've heard that my fancy little e-mail linky might not be working. Anyone else not getting e-mails about new posts?
Not that I would know how to fix it or anything.

6) This stuff needs to be moved from my bedroom. It's the last thing I see before I go to sleep and it's totally interfering with my sleeping mojo.

I know he's leaving. I do not need the reminder.
Also, I keep tripping on it in the night when I am attending to my dear ~~infant baby boy~~ toddler who has to pee at 1am.

7) The election coverage. It's too soon. I can't take it. The next presidential election is over 14 months away and my esophagus cannot take the heartburn of political news coverage for that long.

Also, I kind of wish politics was off-limits on Facebook.

Along with anything relating to scabs.

8) I went to Krispy Kreme for the first time last weekend.
Alex and I had just finished up a chapter in our current read-aloud, Homer Price, about a misadventure with a doughnut machine. After reading about how it worked, it was fun to go and see the machine in action.
And, okay, have a doughnut hot off the press.

Alex did not want a hot one, though. Nope, she choose the chocolate and sprinkle covered one, which was no surprise at all.

Here's hoping the next chapter is all about a misadventure in some type of spa setting!

9) I can name all of the Duggar children.

10) The weather has been ever so much pleasanter these last several days. It's amazing how good a high of 90 feels after all those days at/near 100 degrees.

11) That's pretty much all I've been thinking about.

This message was brought to you by children in weird positions and the fathers who put them there.

Four.

2011-08-15T15:18:00.000-06:00

This is the day that I should probably stop calling my sweet Derek a tiny infant baby boy.
He is four years old today, so now I must learn to refer to him as what he is:

A toddler.

(Forgive me, but I cannot be expected to allow him to grow up all at once, now can I?)

We celebrated his birthday on Sunday, since Josh could be home all day.
Alex and I wrapped his gifts the day before while he and Josh ran errands, and then we tormented him the rest of the evening with the stack of untouchable presents.

He would just stand by them, staring and smiling.

With his pants twisted because he can go potty all by himself
(I hate to brag, but he's totally advanced for a toddler.)

The first gift he opened on Sunday was this alligator (crocodile?) squirt-gun that I found for 99 cents.

Since then, anyone who asks what he got for his birthday hears first and foremost about that squirt gun. I should have saved myself some money and just cleared out the dollar bins at Target for all his presents.

Our main gift to Derek was a Toy Story boombox and several books on CD for him to listen to during quiet time. So far, they've been a hit.
Except that the unabridged Winnie the Pooh stories were kind of over his head, so now Alex is happily keeping them company in her room during quiet time.
Yesterday, she didn't want to come out because she was still listening to the books.

I have a 6 and 4 year old! How did that happen?

Derek would make this face with every gift he opened...

We did not have a party for him, because:
1) I am lame
2) They are a lot of work
3) The boy is oblivious and probably didn't even notice

Instead we took him here:

And he had a grand 'ol time playing twenty dollars worth of games and earning enough tickets to bring home a twisty straw.

Good times.

Love that Birthday Boy!

PS-- I have special powers to read people's minds-- right now Pat the Bunny is thinking When are they going to get that boy a haircut?

Am I right PtB? Am I right? ;)